TEACHING AND LEARNING OF INFORMATION LITERACY ININSTITUTIONS OF IDGHER LEARNING IN KWAZULU-NATAL

PROVINCE AND MALAWI.

by

GEORGE THEODORE CIDPETA

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the Degree ofMaster of Library and Information Science (MLIS)

In the Department of Library and Information Science at theUniversity of Zululand

Supervisors: Dr. D JacobsDr. J Mostert

©2008

DECLARATION

I, GEORGE THEODORE CHIPETA declare that this thesis is my original work exceptwhere proper referencing is made in the text. The thesis has not been submitted for theaward of any degree to any other University.

G.T. CHIPETA.

.k~\~r .Supervisor

Or. J.Mostert

Il

"1.. ') / (J /. :1Date. '(Y.<VI'c.!... 1,. •••

J-J-Io'i; (0(; .Date .

DEDICATION

This work is dedicated to the following people:

Florence my wife, for her undying love, understanding, patience, care and support, mychildren, Lisa and George Jr, for their love and support, my mother Ms E. Chilinda forraising and educating me, my late father Mr. W.W. Chipeta, my brothers, sisters, unclesand aunties for their support.

11l

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my heartfelt indebtedness and gratitude to the following peoplefor their contributions in making this work a success.

God the creator who gave me the ability, wisdom and strength to undertake and producethis thesis.

My supervisors Dr. D. lacobs and Dr. 8.1 Mostert for tirelessly and patiently supervisingmy research, their advice, encouragement and guidance.

Professor D.N. Ocholla, for his overall guidance and advice.

All the respondents who gave up a lot of their time to respond to the interviews andquestionnaires.

My employer, the Mzuzu University, for the financial support especially Professor 1. Utafor initiating further studies and for his support to enable me study.

All people whose work has been used in the research, without which this work would nothave been possible.

All colleagues for sharing of ideas.

IV

ABSTRACT

This study has defined Information Literacy as the teaching and learning about the whole

range of information sources and formats. Information literacy enables people to interpret

and make informed judgments as users of information sources and it also enables them to

become producers of information in their own right, and thereby to become more

powerful participants in society. Information Literacy forms the basis for lifelong

learning. It is common to all disciplines, to all learning environments and to all levels of

education.

The aim of this study is to investigate the teaching and learning of Information Literacy

in institutions of higher learning in KwaZulu-Natal province and Malawi. It was assumed

that Information Literacy presents a broad approach that offers the opportunity to educate

students to understand the importance of information, and have the competence to locate,

evaluate and manage it. In that way, Information Literacy contributes towards a higher

level of literacy and lifelong learning. It can be argued, therefore, that students become

information literate when they are comfortable in using all information formats

independently, when they are able to evaluate and base decisions on information

obtained. It is in this vein that students should be empowered to be literate and

comfortable in using information available in printed and in electronic formats.

Qualitative and quantitative approaches were used that involved largely surveys by use of

questionnaires, observations and interviews for data collection. A document study was

also used in the form of literature review to examine trends and patterns in study guides

and course outlines. The study targeted four hundred and twenty two (422) students as

follows: Durban University of Technology, two hundred and twenty nine (229) students,

University of Zululand one hundred and three (103) students and Mzuzu University

eighteen (18) students. Six members of staff were targeted as follows: One (I) Lecturer

from the Department of Library and Information Science and One (I) Librarian from

each institution under study.

v

In order to test the reliability of the research instruments, a pilot study was carried out at

the University of Zululand and necessary adjustments were made to the instruments

before the final survey commenced.

Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), a computer­

aided software. The results were represented qualitatively and quantitatively using tables,

graphs, and percentages.

Problems encountered included difficulty in collecting preliminary information on the

number of registered students at the Durban University of Technology; the late release of

the research funds which affected the time frame of the research and a slow response to

request for permission to conduct study at the institutions under study especially at the

University of KwaZulu-Natal which was initially targeted, but later dropped in preference

to Mzuzu University in Malawi.

The study revealed that Information Literacy is offered at the University of Zululand and

Mzuzu University as a module or course. The Durban University of Technology does not

offer a module or course in Information Literacy, but the library does teach Information

Literacy to all the students in the university during the library orientation programme.

The study also established that a handful of students were aware of the availability and

attendance of the module or course of Information Literacy at the University of Zululand

and Mzuzu University, probably because the module or course is not offered across the

whole universities. The mode of teaching includes lectures and learning guides, whereas

the learning mode includes both theoretical and practical modes. The results also indicate

that all students that had received formal information literacy training had the perception

that they had the ability to independently identitY, locate, retrieve and use information

sources. Similary, it was found that all respondents that had received formal Information

Literacy had the perception that they had the ability to so by using the OPAe.

It was established that Information Literacy equipped students with information handling

skills such as correctly writing citations and references. The majority of the respondents

that had not received formal information literacy training indicated not using citations

and references in their academic works. Problems encountered in the teaching and

learning of Information Literacy include inadequate time, lack of computer skills by the

students, inadequate venues and equipment for teaching and students' practicals, lack of

VI

cooperation overcrowding of classes and erratic network connections due to power

disruptions.

The study recommends that the three institutions should harmonise their syllabi on

Information Literacy and that the module/course should be embedded into the whole

university curricula and that the OUT should introduce a dedicated module/course in

Information Literacy and embed it into the students' course materials. The three

universities should also publicise to academic staff, students and the decision makers the

importance of having module/course of Information Literacy. The study also

recommends that Information Literacy should be introduced into vanous

modules/courses published and presented online in WebCT modules and delivered in

lecture modes with the help of tutorials, and workshops. Academic staff should reinforce

students' use of indexing and abstracting journals by collaborating among themselves in

giving the students more work, assignments that require searching and the use of

indexing and abstracting journals. In addition, academic staff should collaborate among

themselves and with library staff by devising a uniform citation style to be used by

students and reinforce, the students' use of citations and references and that they should

give assignments to students that entail the use of citations and references.

VII

Page

Title 1

Declaration 11

Dedications III

Acknowledgements IV

Abstract V

Table of contents Xl

List ofTables XVlll

List ofFigures XlX

Glossary of terms xx

Abbreviations XXI

Vlll

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAYfER ONE :INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

l.l Conceptual setting

1.1.2 The need for infonnation literacy 3

1.2 Contextual setting 4

1.2.1 University ofZululand 4

1.2.2 Durban University of Technology 6

1.2.3 Mzuzu University 8

I.3 Statement of the problem 10

1.4 Aim ofthe study 10

1.5 Objectives ofthe study 10

1.6 Research questions 11

1.7 Significance of the study 11

1.8 Scope and limitations ofthe study 12

1.9 Dissemination of results 12

1.10 Structure of the dissertation 13

1.11 Summary 14

CHAPTER TWO- LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction 15

2.2 The concept of infonnation literacy 15

2.3 What are infonnation skills? 17

2.4 Benchmarking infonnation literacy in institutions of

higher learning 17

2.5 Infonnation literacy models 19

2.5.1 Seven pillars of information literacy (SCONUL, 1999) 19

2.5.2 The Big6 Skills (EisenBerg and Berkowitz, 1990) 19

2.5.3 Information Search process (Kuhlthau, 1993) 19

2.5.4 Research process model (Stripling and Pitts, 1998) 20

IX

2.5.5 Pathways to knowledge (Pappas and Tepe, 2002) 20

2.5.5.1 The Seven pillars of information literacy 20

2.5.5.1.1 The ability to recognise a need for information 21

2.5.5.1.2 The ability to distinguish ways in which the information "gap"

may be addressed 23

2.5.5.1.3 The ability to construct strategies for locating information 24

2.5.5.1.4 The ability to locate and access information 25

2.5.5.1.5 The ability to compare and evaluate information obtained from

Different sources 27

2.5.5.1.6 The ability to organise, apply and communicate information to

Others in ways appropriate to the situation 28

2.5.5.1.7 The ability to synthesise and build upon existing information,

Contributing to the creation of new knowledge 29

2.6 Integration of information literacy into the curriculum 30

2.7 Collaboration on teaching information literacy 34

2.8 Responsibility for information literacy 35

2.8.1 The role and responsibilities of the institution 35

2.8.2 The Role and Responsibilities of the Academic Library andLibrarian 36

2.8.3 The roles and responsibilities of the teaching faculty

2.9 Learning and teaching of information literacy in Institutions ofhigher learning

2.10 Information access tools

2.10.1 Open Access Public Catalogue (OPAC)

2.10.2 An Index

2. I0.2.1 Periodical Indexes

37

37

43

43

43

44

2.10.3 Abstracts 44

2.11 Problems faced in the teaching and learning of information literacy 45

2.11.1 Diverse groups 45

x

2.11.2 Language and Cultural barriers 45

2.11.3 Research skills 46

2.11.4 Changes in students and the curricula 46

2.11.5 Technology issues 47

2.12 Summary 47

CHAPTER THREE - RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction 48

3.2 Methodology 48

3.2.1 Method 49

3.2.2 Survey method 49

3.3 Population 49

3.4 Sampling 50

3.4.1 Sample size and sample frame 51

3.5 Research instruments 52

3.5.1 The questionnaire 52

3.5.2 The interview 53

3.5.3 Observation 54

3.6 Data collection procedures 58

3.7 Pilot study 58

3.8 Data analysis 59

3.9 Problems encountered 59

3.10 Summary 60

XI

CHAPTER FOUR - DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTAnON OF FINDINGS

4.1 Introduction 61

4.2 Students's analysis 62

4.2.1 Institutional affiliation, faculty and level of study of respondents 62

4.2.2 Gender of the respondents 63

4.3 Offer and teaching of information literacy 64

4.3.1 Awareness of the availability of the course/module in information literacy 65

4.3.2 Attendance of the course or module in information literacy 67

4.3.3 Title and code of the course/module 69

4.3.4 Department responsible for information literacy course or module 70

4.3.5 Topics covered in the course or module of information literacy 70

4.3.6 Satisfaction with the content being offered in information literacy 71

4.3.7 Areas that need to be removed and for added 71

4.3.8 Relevance of the course or module of information literacy 72

4.4 Modes of teaching and learning information literacy 73

4.4.1 Mode of teaching the information literacy classes 73

4.4.2 Learning modes offered by the course or module 73

4.4.3 Learning modes favoured by the students 74

4.5 Problems faced in learning and application of information literacy courseor module 75

4.6 Suggestions of solutions to problems 76

4.7 Students' perception oftheir ability to independently identify, locate,retrieve and use information sources 76

XII

4.7.1 Students' perception of their ability to independently identitY and locatecollections in the library by using the Open Access public Catalogue,Indexing and AbstractingjoumaIs 81

4.7.2 Access points used in the retrieval of information 84

4.7.3 Purposes for the use of information 86

4.7.4 Use of citations and references in academic works 87

4.7.4.1 How respondents learnt about citing and referencing and problemsfaced by respondents that do not know how to write citations andreferences 88

4.7.4.2 How respondents learnt about citing and referencing 88

4.7.4.3 Problems faced by respondents that do not know how to write citationsand references 90

4.8 Observations 91

4.8.1 Participants with information literacy training at University ofZululand 91

4.8.1.1 Participant one 91

4.8.1.2 Participant two 92

4.8.1.3 Participant three 92

4.8.2 Participant without information literacy training 93

4.8.2.1 Participant four 93

4.8.3 Participants with information literacy training at DUT 93

4.8.3.1 Participant five 93

4.8.3.2 Participant six 93

4.8.3.3 Participant seven 94

4.8.3.4 Participant eight 94

4.8.4 Participant with information literacy training at Mzuni 94

4.8.4. I Participant nine 95

4.8.5 Participant without information literacy training at Mzuni 95

XIII

4.8.5.1 Participant ten 95

4.9 Academic staff 96

4.9.1 Personal information 96

4.9.2 Offer and teaching of information literacy 96

4.9.3 Responsibility for the teaching of information literacy 97

4.9.4 Existence of collaboration between library staffand theDepartment of Library and Information Science responsible inteaching information literacy 99

4.9.5 Problems faced in the delivery of information literacy course ormodule lOO

4.9.6 Suggestions from faculty on the most effective method for teachinginformation literacy 102

4.10 Library staff 102

4.10.1 Personal information 102

4.10.2 Responsibility for the teaching of the library orientation programmeor information literacy 103

4.10.3 Existence ofcollaboration between library staff and theDepartment of Library and Information Science 106

4.10.4 Problems faced in teaching library orientation programme orinformation literacy 108

4.10.5 Suggestions from library staff on the most effective method forteaching library orientation programme or information literacy II1

4.11 Summary II I

CHAPTER FIVE- DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Offer and teaching of information Literacy

5.3 Formulation, design and review of the module or course ofinformation literacy

XIV

113

114

114

5.4 Awareness of the availability and attendance of the module or course ininformation literacy 115

5.5 Responsibility for information literacy or library orientationprogramme 116

5.6 Topics covered in the module or course of information literacy or libraryorientation programme 117

5.7 Mode ofdelivery or learning of information literacy module or courseor library orientation programme I 17

5.8 Equipping students with the skills for doing academic workand handling information 118

5.9 Students' perception about their ability to independently identify,locate, retrieve and use information sources 119

5.10 Students' perception about their ability to independently identify,locate, retrieve and use information sources by using the OPAC,indexing and abstracting journals 120

5. I I Use of citations and references in academic works 122

5.12 Challenges faced in the teaching and learning of informationliteracy or library orientation programme 122

5.13 Summary 125

CHAPTER SIX- SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDAnON

6.1 Introduction 127

6.2 Summary 127

6.2. I To the offer and teaching of information literacy 128

6.2.2 To ascertain the learning modes of information literacy 128

6.2.3 To establish who is responsible for the teaching of information Literacymodule or course or Library orientation programme. 128

6.2.4 To establish the existence of collaboration between library staff and theDepartment of Library and Information science in information literacyor library orientation programme 129

xv

6.2.5 To determine the students' perception about their ability to independentlyidentify, locate, retrieve and use of information resources by the students 129

6.2.6 To establish the problems faced in the teaching and learning ofinformation literacy or library orientation programme 129

6.2.7 To seek suggestions from library staff and academic staff on the mosteffective method for teaching information literacy or library orientationprogramme 130

6.3 Conclusion 130

6.4 Recommendations 131

6.4.1 Offer and teaching ofInformation literacy 131

6.4.2 Design, formulation and review ofthe module or course ofinformation literacy 132

6.4.3 Establishment of a formal collaboration between library staffand academic staff 132

6.4.4 The teaching and learning of information literacy 133

6.4.5 Students' Students' perception about their ability to independently identify,locate, retrieve and use of information resources by using the OPAC,indexing and abstracting journals 133

6.4.6 Use of citations and references in academic works 133

6.4.7 Problems faced in the teaching and learning of informationliteracy or library orientation programme 134

6.4.7.1 Time factor 134

6.4.7.2 Lack of computer literacy 134

6.4.7.3 Inadequate equipment and venues 134

6.4.7.4 Lack of cooperation 135

6.4.7.5 Overcrowding of classes 135

6.4.7.6 Erratic network connections 135

6.4.8 The most effective method for teaching information literacy 135

6.5 Recommendations for further study 136

XVI

REFERENCES 137

APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1

Table for Research Methodology 146

APPENDIX 2

Questionnaire for students 147

APPENDIX 3

Observation Schedule 155

APPENDIX 4

Interview schedule for Academic staff 158

APPENDIX 5

Interview schedule for Library staff 161

XVII

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Students, academic and library staff population 49

Table 2 Sample size for students SI

Table 3 Sample size for Library and academic and staff 52

Table 4 Target population and their responses 61

Table 5 Responses per institutional affiliation and faculty 62

Table 6 Level of Study 63

Table 7 Gender of the respondents by institution and faculty 64

Table 8 Awareness of the availability of the Course orModule of Information Literacy 67

Table 9 Attendance of a formal course or module in InformationLiteracy 69

Table 10 Title and code of the course or module. 70

Table 11 Satisfaction with the content being offered in informationliteracy 72

Table 12 Students' perception about their ability to independently identify, locate,retrieve and use information sources 79

Table 13 Students' perception about their ability to independently identifyand locate collections in the Library by using the Open Access Public

Catalogue (OPAC), indexing and Abstracting journals 83

Table 14 Access points used in the retrieval of information

Table 15 Purposes for the use of information

XVIII

86

88

Table 16 Use ofcitations and references in academic works

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure I Relevance of information literacy course or module ininstitutions ofhigher learning

Figure 2 Mode of teaching information literacy classes

Figure 3 Learning modes offered by the module

XIX

89

73

74

75

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Curriculum: An aggregate of courses of study given in a school, college, university, etc.

Institutions of higher learning: A higher level of educational institution, in whichstudents study for their diplomas, degrees and academic research is done. In SouthAfiica, that includes Universities and Technikons. In Malawi it includes Universities andColleges.

Learning: Entails to acquire knowledge or skill

Lifelong: Means lasting or continuing through all or much of one's life.

Literacy: Means the condition or quality of being literate, especially the ability toread and write.

Skill: Means proficiency, facility, or dexterity that IS acquired or developedthrough training or experience.

Teaching: Means to impart knowledge or skill.

xx

ACRL

ALA

CA

CAUL

CILlP

CQU

DUT

ICT

INFOLlT

LIASA

LIS

MARC

MOSAIC

MZUNI

OPAC

QUT

SADC

SAFARI

SCONUL

SPSS

TILT

UNISA

ABBREVIAnONS

Association of College and Research Libraries

American Library Association

Chemical Abstracts

Council of Australian University Librarians

Chatered Institutes of Library and Information Professionals

Central Queensland University

Durban University of Technology

Information and Communication Technology

Information Literacy

Library and Information Science Abstracts

Library and Information Science

Machine Readable Catalogue

Making Sense oflnformation in the Connected Age

Mzuzu University

Online Public Access Catalogue

Queensland University of Technology

Southern Africa Developing Community

Skills in Accessing, Finding And Reviewing Information

Society of College, National and University Libraries

Statistical Package for Social Sciences

Texas Information Literacy Tutorial

University of South Africa

XXI

UNIZUL

UW

University ofZululand

University of Washington

XXII

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO TIlE STUDY

1.1 Conceptual setting

According to Abid (2004:n.p), Information Literacy is concerned with teaching and

learning about the whole range of information sources and formats. The author further

states that information literacy enables people to interpret and make informed judgments as

users of information sources and it also enables them to become producers of information

in their own right, and thereby to become more powerful participants in society.

Information literacy forms the basis for lifelong learning. It is common to all disciplines, to

all learning environments and to all levels of education.

De lager and Nassimbeni in (Somi and De lager 2005: 260) note that information literate

persons are those who can:

• Recognise the need for information;

• Access information efficiently and effectively;

• Evaluate information and its sources critically;

• Incorporate selected information into one's knowledge base;

• Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose;

• Understand the economic, legal and social issues surrounding the use of

information and

• Access and use information ethically and legally.

The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professional (CILIP, 2006: 4.) states

that an information literate person should have the ability to be a lifelong learner and to be

able to reflect on what one does. Information literacy is also about commitment to value, to

worth and to success.

Information literacy presents a broad approach that offers the opportunity to educate

students to understand the importance of information, and have the competence to locate.

evaluate and manage it (Makhubula and Koen in Somi and De lager 2005: 260). In that

way, information literacy contributes towards a higher level of literacy and lifelong

learning. It can be argued therefore that students become information literate when they are

comfortable in using all information formats independently and when they are able to

evaluate and base decisions on information obtained. It is in this vein that students should

be empowered to be literate and comfortable in using information available in printed and

in electronic formats.

In response to developments outlined above, institutions of higher learning in South Africa

have in recent years increasingly engaged in activities intended to help students to become

critical thinkers, problem solvers, independent information seekers and lifelong learners.

Rader (n.d: par 4) for instance, opines that user education and information literacy has

become an area of research in the library community of South Africa. Most institutions of

learning are involved in information literacy activities and that most academic librarians

are working on integrating information skills instruction into the curricula. Rader (n.d :par

4) gives an example of the University of South Africa (UNISA) and the University of

Pretoria where several initiatives related to information literacy have been in operation for

several years. Since 1997, UNISA has continued to offer a fully integrated course on

research information skills to graduate students in Chemistry in the distance education

environment, utilising workshop components such as hands-on training and innovative

evaluation methods.

At the University of Fort Hare, lecturing staff responsible for certain subjects send their

students to the library to be trained more specifically in the identification and use of

information resources of their particular subject areas (Somi and De lager 2005: 261). The

purpose, according to Somi and De lager (2005: 261), is to enable students to use

information resources that the library has on that particular subject. The use of the library

homepage on the web where students learn about the library services, the evaluation of

online resources, databases, ""Titing assignments, citation styles and library rules and

regulations are also taught during the sessions.

2

1.1.2 The need for information literacy

The advent of the information explosion in the late 20th century has given impetus to the

teaching of information literacy because individuals were faced with a myriad choices of

information in both print and electronic media. The electronic media, however, do not have

the variety of quality assurance processes that are inherent in print media, where the

content passes from authors, through editors, reviewers and publishers and possibly

through recommendations by tutors, to the learner (Idiodi, 2005:3). Uncertainties such as

quality, authenticity, validity and reliability of some of the materials in electronic format

via the Internet are one factor in particular that makes the need for information literacy

pressing.

Idiodi (2005:3-4) further writes that Information literacy instruction assists users III

identifYing and selecting necessary information, and using appropriate search strategies in

evaluating, organising and synthesising the information thus acquired into a meaningful

state. The challenge of critically evaluating, understanding and using information in the

present-day context is quite daunting, and information literacy skills help students to master

content and give them the confidence to proceed with investigation and enquiry.

Another factor that has made information literacy an essential attainment IS that,

participative citizenship in today's world requires that all people, not only students, become

information-literate (Idiodi, 2005:4). This means that they must not only be able to

recognize when information is needed, but also be able to identify, locate, evaluate and use

information needed for decision-making or fulfilling different goals. Information literacy is

a skill that is widely relevant and extends beyond the walls of the classroom into the world

of social responsibility. In this sense, it is essential that undergraduates acquire both

information and the skills to use it, if they are to be able to cope in a fully formed, modem

information-based society (Idiodi. 2005:4).

It is due to the above mentioned factors that African Universities are now witnessing a

rapid growth in computer nenvorking and the use of computerised data-bases to access

3

information in their libraries. In addition, Information Literacy programs have been

introduced in some departments offering Library and Information Science (Somi and De

lager 2005: 261).

1.2 Contextual setting.

1.2.1. The University of Zululand

The University of Zululand was established in 1960. The main campus of the University is

situated about 142 km north of Durban and 19 km south of Empangeni off the N2 national

road on the Kwazulu-Natal Coast, (University of Zululand general prospectus 2007:4). The

University of Zululand was officially opened in 1961 and it was meant to serve the

surrounding communities in particular. The overall aim of the university is to provide high

quality education that is relevant and accessible to full-time and part-time students,

(University of Zululand calendar, 2007). According to the University of Zululand general

prospectus (2007:3) the mission of the university is three fold namely to:

• Provide access to students from diverse backgrounds to an enabling and canng

learning and teaching environment;

• Offer relevant programmes that are responsive to the development needs of

society and

• Generate knowledge through research, disseminate it through publications,

teaching and development in partnership with the community.

Currently the university has four faculties; i.e. Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Science and

Agriculture, Faculty of Education and Faculty of Commerce, Administration and Law at

both undergraduate and post graduate levels. Data provided by the Computer Security, ITS

Training Manager (2007), I indicate that the university has got eight thousand, seven

hundred and six (8 706) registered students, two hundred and eighty one (281) academic

staff and thirty four library staff (34).

1 V. Kungwini (2007). Computer security, ITS Training Manager, University ofZululand: KwaOlangezwa.

4

In order to achieve the mission stated above, the University has a Library which is within

easy reach of all tutorial blocks (University of Zululand Library guide n.d: I) whose

mission is to serve the teaching, learning and research functions of the University of

Zululand, as well as the needs of the community in its immediate vicinity. According to the

University of Zululand library guide (n.d : 2), the library holds over 360,000 bound

volumes and over 358 titles of journals/periodicals, law collection, reference materials,

theses, Uzulu collections and the main collection. The materials in each collection are

arranged according to the class numbers of the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC)

system, which divides knowledge into main classes. There are several service points in the

library that provide the following services: Circulation, Uzulu collection, Inter-Library

loans, Reference collection, Audio-Visual section (AV), Periodicals, Online Public Access

Catalogue (OPAC), and Databases.

The University library conducts library user education, and it echoes traditional practices

such as library orientation, library instruction, one-on-one instruction and the use of guides

and manuals. Library orientation is usually mandatory at the University of Zululand and it

is an on- going exercise for new students. During the orientation, students are given

introductory lectures on library use, and, where possible, given demonstrations on how to

locate and retrieve materials, given brochures and handbooks highlighting resources and

services. Library guides and manuals are hard copy materials which students can take away

with them and consult for reference at leisure. They enhance the effectiveness of students'

information retrieval activities, long after the tour of the library or lectures. With the advent

of Information and Communication Technology (ICD, the University of Zululand library

is now using electronic information storage and retrieval devices, such as CD-ROMS,

OPAC and some databases. The introduction of these electronic devices has resulted in the

need for users' skills to be developed (University of Zululand website, 2007: n.p.).

According to the University of Zululand website (2007: n.p.), the University of Zululand

offers a 3 year programme in Library and Information Science. The Information Literacy

module is offered to students in the Departments of Library and Information Science,

Agriculture Science and Communication Science. The purpose of the module is to

empower students with information skills so that the students should able be to handle and

5

manage information appropriately in an academic setting (University of Zululand

Information Literacy Module guide, n.p: n.d). The module content has three broad areas

namely:

• Information Handling Skills;

• Locating information and

• Expository writing

1.2.2 Durban University of Technology (DUT)

The Durban University of Technology (OUT) is a technical university in KwaZulu-Natal,

South Africa. According to the OUT brochure (2007:1), the OUT was formed in 2002

through the merger of Technikon Natal and ML Sultan Technikon and was previously

known as the Durban Institute of Technology. The OUT is a vibrant multi-campus tertiary

level institution at the cutting edge of higher education, technological training and research.

It has six campuses, four are located in Durban City, namely Ritson Campus, City campus,

Steve Biko campus and ML Sultan, while the other two are Indumiso (on the outskirts of

Pietermaritzburg), and Brickfield Campus in Pietermaritzburg. According to the Durban

University of Technology website (2007: n.p), the mission of the OUT is to serve the needs

of developing societies within a dynamic global context and to enable quality teaching,

learning, research and community engagement by:

• Providing quality, career-focused education;

• Promoting a values-driven ethos sustainable partnerships with industry,

community and society; excellence in applied and relevant research;

• Staff and students to succeed and

• Ensuring institutional sustainability.

The OUT has four Faculties namely, the Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Commerce, Faculty of

Engineering, Science and the Built Environment and the Faculty of Health Science (Durban

University of Technology website, 2007: n.p.).

6

According to OUT Website (2007: n.p.), the OUT has some site libraries at Steve Biko

campus, ML Sultan Campus, City Campus and Ritson Campus all situated in Durban. The

OUT library's mission is that, it is a client-focused service that enables teaching, learning

and research and encourages lifelong learning by:

• Acquiring information resources;

• Providing information skills training;

• Ensuring equitable access to information and facilities;

• Using appropriate technology and skilled staff and

• Engaging in resource sharing and community outreach.

The library offers the following information resources: library catalogue, E-Data bases, E­

Journals, E-newspapers, Open Access journals, subject guides and search engines and

useful sites. Services rendered by the library include Inter-library loans, Electronic and

audio-visual facilities, group room bookings and photocopying. Research assistance is also

given on a one to one basis. The OUT library houses collections of printed materials such

as books, periodicals, newspapers, examination papers and maps and media items such as

videos, DVDs, audiotapes, stiffY discs, e.t.c. Collections in different sites vary depending

on the subjects or programmes offered at a particular campus (Durban University of

Technology Website, 2007: n.p.). Subject librarians offer information literacy training

during the library orientation programme to various classes from beginner to advanced

level on how to access information using the various resources available in the site

libraries. The training is meant to familiarise students with the organisation of information

in the library, the OPAC, basic and advanced searching, print and electronic resources, and

referencing, among others.

According to the OUT Website (2007: n.p.), the ML Sultan Campus in Durban offers a 3

year programme in Library and Information Studies. The programme does not offer a

course in Information Literacy. The Department of Library and Information Studies'

mission is to strive for excellence in its contribution to the provision of relevant vocational

education and training and research in the field of library and information studies to ensure

7

that both the career aspirations of its learners and the regional and national library and

information services needs of the country are realised.

The DUT has a population of twenty one thousand, three hundred and sixteen (21,316)

students, (DUT Management Information Systems, 20072). The DUT audited head count

figure of permanent academic staff as provided by Institutional audit portfolio report

(20073) is five hundred and ninety five, (595) and seventy (72) library staff.

1.2.3. Mzuzu University.

Mzuzu University (Mzuni) is situated in Luwinga area to the northwest of Mzuzu City, in

the Northern region of Malawi and it is located nearly 6 km away from the city centre

(Mzuni Website, 2007: n.p.). Mzuni was established by an Act of Parliament in 1997 as

Malawi's second national university and its mission is to provide quality education,

training, research and complementary services to meet the technological, social and

economic needs of individuals and communities in Malawi (Mzuzu University website,

2007: n.p.).

According to the Mzuzu University Prospectus (2007: 9-15), Mzuni has five Faculties;

namely, the Faculty of Education, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of

Information Science and Communications, Faculty of Medical and Health sciences, and

Faculty of Hospitality Management and Tourism. According to data provided by the Senior

Assistant Registrar4 of the Mzuzu University, the population of Mzuzu University is one

thousand, four hundred (1,400) students, one hundred and twenty (120) academic staff and

thirteen (13) library staff.

At Mzuzu University, the Department of Library and information Science offers a four year

degree programme In Library and Information Science and a course in Information

Literacy is offered to first year students of Library and information Science (Mzuzu

University Website, 2007:n.p). The course is not offered across all Faculties and

1 DuT Management lnfonnation Systems. 2007) Institutional Audit Portfolio Report (2007). DUT: Durban.4. Y. Ngwira (2007) Senior Assistant Registrar- Academics, r-..1zuzu University: \1alawi.

8

Departments in the University, since the course is new and there is a shortage of teaching

staff. According to the Department of Library and Information Science' course guide,

(2006:n.p.) the course offers the following content:

• IdentifYing the need for information;

• Selecting the most appropriate information system;

• Acquiring pertinent information;

• Evaluating information obtained;

• Manipulating information in usable form and

• Communicating information.

In order to achieve its mission, the University has a modern Library, integrating print and

electronic information resources like CD-ROM databases such as Emerald, Ebscohost and

a wide range of multi-media formats. The collection is arranged according to the Library

of Congress Classification Scheme. The principal objective of the Library and Learning

Resources Centre (LLRC) is to support teaching, learning and research activities in the

university and its mission is: "To provide up-to-date and relevant information resources;

promote the effective utilisation of those resources; and facilitate rapid access to

information held within and in remote places through conventional and electronic means."

The Library has a collection of 16,671 volumes and 200 journal titles. Services that the

library provides include: Readers Service, Short Loan (Reserve) Collection, Malawiana

Collection, Periodicals collection, Inter-Library loans, Reference Collection, Technical

services, Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) and Databases (Mzuzu University

Website, 2007: n.p).

The Library at Mzuzu University does not teach Information literacy per se, but it does

offer instructions to students in the use of the library' information resources. Some topics

taught during the orientation programme are searching and retrieval tools, use of the

Internet and the OPAC, classification and arrangement of information sources in the

Library and citing and referencing of academic works.

9

1.3 Statement of the Problem

Tertiary institutions are centers of learning and knowledge generation. This means that

students, academic staff, administrative staff, researchers and librarians work with

information. It is imperative for students to therefore have information literacy skills to

enable them to independently search, identifY, locate, retrieve and use information. By

imparting information literacy skills to students, the students become information literate.

This is noted by Barton (n.d: I-2) who opines that information literate students access

evaluate and use information from a variety of sources. They communicate effectively and

reflect on the process as well as the product. It is in this regard, therefore, that a deliberate

program of teaching and learning of information literacy should be incorporated in

universities' curricula. This researcher based on his experience as a student assistant in the

Department of Library and Information Science and in the Library at the University of

Zululand, and as an assistant lecturer at Mzuzu University in Malawi, has observed that

most undergraduate students, do not posses the much needed information literacy skills for

conducting their research and searching for information. They rely heavily on their lecture

notes and library staff to seek information despite having been taught and equipped with

information literacy skills during their first year in the university. One is thus led to ask the

question: what and where is the problem? Why are students not performing as expected in

regard to the application of information literacy skills? It is the intention of this study to

reveal among other findings how valuable the course is.

1.4 Aim of the study

The aim ofthis study was to investigate the teaching and learning of information literacy in

some selected institutions of higher I

earning in KwaZulu-Natal province and in Malawi.

1.5 Objectives

• To determine the offer and teaching of information literacy;

• To ascertain the learning of information literacy;

• To establish who are responsible for the teaching of information literacy or

Iibrary orientation programme;

10

• To establish the existence of collaboration between library staff and the

Department of Library and Infonnation Science in the teaching of

infonnation Literacy or library orientation programme;

• To detennine students' perception about the ability to independently

identifY, locate, retrieve and use of infonnation resources;

• To establish the problems faced in the teaching and learning of infonnation

literacy or library orientation programme;

• To seek suggestions from library and faculty staff on the most effective

method for teaching infonnation literacy or library orientation programme

and

• To make recommendations to the curriculum developers and concerned

departments at the universities regarding the effective teaching and learning

of infonnation literacy.

1.6 Research questions

• Is infonnation literacy taught and offered in the universities?

• What learning modes exist in the institutions?

• Who are responsible for the teaching of infonnation literacy module or

course or library orientation programme?

• Is there any collaboration between library staff and the Department of

library and Infonnation science in the teaching of infonnation literacy or

library orientation programme?

• Are students able to independently identifY, locate, retrieve and use

infonnation resources?

• What problems do the universities face In the delivery of infonnation

Iiteracy programmes?

• What are the solutions to the challenges faced in the delivery of information

literacy programs?

1.7 Significance ofthe study

This study will be used as a resource for students, teachers and librarians. Lessons learned

can be put to good use at the institutions being studied and elsewhere, given that. to the best

knowledge of this researcher, there is no similar study that has been conducted in the

11

KwaZulu - Natal province and Malawi. Additionally, the study will spur other researchers

to conduct further research in the teaching and learning of information literacy, or in other

subject domains.

1.8 Scope and limitations

The study included two institutions of higher learning in the KwaZulu-Natal province,

namely the University of Zululand and Durban University of Technology, and the Mzuzu

University in Malawi. The University of Zululand and Durban University of Technology

have been selected because they represent various groupings in the country. The University

of Zululand is a comprehensive rural based University and it is regarded as a historically

disadvantaged institution; the Durban University of Technology is urban based and is

regarded as a historically advantaged institution. Mzuzu University represents both urban

and rural settings.

The study was confined to the two institutions in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and one

institution in Malawi. It excluded the other institutions in South Africa and Malawi because

of the distance, financial, and time constraints. For instance, the researcher did not have

enough funds to cover all the tertiary institutions in South Africa and Malawi. The

University of Zululand and Mzuzu University were selected because of convenience. The

University of KwaZulu-Natal was left out because of the delays in getting the ethical

clearance, which was to affect the time frame of the study. The Durban University of

Technology was selected because it has both rural and urban based students. The study

mainly focused on academic staff responsible for teaching information literacy, library staff

responsible for teaching information literacy or library orientation programme and students.

1.9 Dissemination of researcb results

Ocholla (1999: 141) is of the view that being in possessIOn of information without

disseminating it is useless and that research is incomplete until it is disesseminated. Results

of this study will be disseminated through depositing copies of the dissertation in libraries

of the institutions under the scope of the study. Results shall also be disseminated through

conferences, seminars, internal workshops and hopefully through the publication of articles

in peer- reviewed journals.

12

1.10 Structure of the dissertation

Chapter One: introduction and background of the study

This covers the introduction, conceptual and contextual setting, statement of the problem,

aim, objectives of the study, research questions, and significance of the study and literature

review approaches.

Chapter two: Literature review

The chapter covers the literature review of the teaching and learning of information literacy

in some selected institutions of higher learning internationally, nationally, and also

specifically in KwaZulu-Natal province and in Malawi. This will be done using books,

journal articles, and internet resources..

Chapter three: Methodology

This chapter focuses on how the research was carried out and covers the research

methodology, research method, target population, instruments of data collection, data

collection techniques and procedures and data analysis.

Chapter four: Data Presentation and analysis.

This chapter presents and analyses data collected from the questionnaires that were

distributed to students, observations of students, and interviews conducted with the

academic and library staff.

Chapter five: Discussions of findings

This chapter discusses the results of findings from chapter 4 which include responses from

students, academic and library staff.

Chapter six: Summary, recommendations and conclusions.

This chapter provides a summary, conclusions and recommendations, based on the findings

of the study.

Bibliography

Appendices

13

1.11 Summary

This chapter has covered the conceptual and contextual setting of the teaching of

information literacy in institutions of higher learning. Other topics discussed include: the

statement of the problem; aim of the study; objectives and research questions of the study;

significance of the study; and scope and limitations of the study. Dissemination of research

findings and the structure of the thesis are also provided.

The review of the literature shall be done in chapter two.

14

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction

This chapter reviews the literature related to the entire study. Information Literacy is firmly

embedded in the practices and outcomes of education in the Information Age hence

contributing to the holistic development of an individual. According to the Council of

Australian University Librarians (200 I: I), information literacy is an understanding and set

of abilities enabling individuals to recognise when information is needed and have the

capacity to locate, evaluate and use effectively the needed information. This chapter

discusses the concept of information literacy, information skills, benchmarking information

literacy in institutions of higher learning, information literacy models, integration of

information literacy into the curriculum, collaboration on teaching of information literacy,

responsibility for information literacy, learning and teaching of information literacy in

institutions of higher learning, information access tools, and problems faced in the teaching

and learning of information literacy.

2.2 The concept of information literacy

The concept of information literacy has been defined in the previous chapter. The intention

of this chapter is however to conceptualise information literacy.

The American Library Association (ALA), (2007: I) states that information literacy is a set

of abilities which enable individuals to recognise when information is needed and

possessing the ability to locate. evaluate, and utilise the needed information. The

importance of information literacy in the modern environment of rapid technological

change and proliferating information resources can not be over emphasised. Because of the

technological advancement which has resulted in the proliferation of information,

individuals are faced with diverse, abundant information choices whether in their academic

studies, in the workplace, and in their personal lives. This abundant information is readily

available in libraries, community resources, special interest organisations, media, and the

Internet. Increasingly, information comes to individuals in unfiltered formats. raising

15

questions about its authenticity, validity, and reliability (ALA, 2007:2). In addition,

infonnation is available through multiple media, including graphical, aural, and textual

fonnats, and these pose new challenges for individuals in evaluating and understanding it.

The uncertain quality and expanding quantity of infonnation pose large challenges for

society. The sheer abundance of infonnation will not in itself create a more infonned

citizenry without a complementary cluster of abilities necessary to use it effectively (ALA,

2007:2).

Several definitions of the tenn infonnation literacy exist and among others, it includes the

one provided by the United States National Commission on Library and Infonnation

Science, in CILIP (2005:n.p) which states "Infonnation Literacy encompasses knowledge

of one's infonnation concerns and needs, and the ability to identify, locate, evaluate,

organise and effectively create, use and communicate infonnation to address Issues or

problems at hand; it is a prerequisite for participating effectively in the lnfonnation

Society, and is part of the basic human right oflife long learning."

Webber and Johnston, (2003: n.p) who were instrumental in developing the ClLIP

definition of Infonnation Literacy, earlier defined lnfonnation Literacy as the "adoption of

appropriate infonnation behaviour to obtain, through whatever channel or medium,

infonnation well fitted to infonnation needs, together with a critical awareness of the

importance of wise and ethical use ofinfonnation in society."

From the definitions provided it can be sunnised that infonnation Literacy is knowing

when and why one needs infonnation, where to find it, and how to evaluate, use and

communicate it in an ethical manner.

ClLIP (2006:n.p), defined Infonnation Literacy as part of knowledge or learning which is

made up of a series of skills or competencies that must be acquired. The infonnation

literate person cares about the quality of the answer to what he or she is investigating and is

prepared to work to guarantee that quality. lnfonnation Literacy will mean slightly

different things to different communities - it may also require a greater degree of skill or

understanding by some communities than others. Infonnation Literacy is relevant and it is

16

viewed as an important skill to be learned and used in primary and secondary schools, in

further and higher education, in business, and in leisure (CILIP, 2006: n.p). The term

information skills therefore need to be clarified.

2.3 What are information skills?

Lock (2003: n.p) opines that there are two ways to looking at information skills in

institutions of higher learning. The first strand relates to study skills which students will

need to put to use during their study and it includes skills such as being able to use a library

and its resources for advancing one's studies, being able to perform literature searches to

whatever depth and complexity required for a particular curriculum or discipline area, and

being able to demonstrate this to the satisfaction of tutors and assessors in whatever form

necessary by means of citations and references to reading and information gathering. This

approach supports the idea of a competent student, one who is able to function effectively

as part of the academic community. The second strand is about students being prepared to

partake fully in whatever activity they may choose upon leaving higher education. This

includes attributes of awareness and understanding of the way in which information is

produced, some practical ideas of how information is acquired, managed, disseminated and

exploited, particularly with knowledge of how appropriate professional groups use

information in the workplace, in business, and in the world of culture and the arts. It also

includes the critical appraisal of the content and validity of the information, (Lock, 2003:

n.p). In order to know whether a student has mastered the information skills, some

standards have to be made with which to measure the student. This is also known as

benchmarking.

2.4 Benchmarking information literacy in institutions of higher learning.

According to De Jager and Nassimbeni (2002:3), benchmarking is a strategic assessment

tool which is commonly practiced in the business sector environment and it essentially

consists of comparing best practice with one's own practice in order to ensure continuous

improvement. The purpose of benchmarking is to improve the current situation in order to

attain excellence and an important product of such an initiative is "the discovery of

innovative approaches ... as enhancement of current practices is rarely suflicient to ensure

17

future excellence" (Meade in De lager and Nassimbeni, 2002:3). Information Literacy was

strongly emphasised as a main theme in higher education with the publication of

"Infonnation Literacy competency standards for higher education by the Association of

College and Research Libraries (ACRL) in 1999. These standards are considered the most

acceptable standards to measure information competencies in institutions of higher

education worldwide. According to the Council of Australian University Librarians

(CAUL, 2001 :4), information literacy standards provide a framework for embedding

in formation literacy in the design and teaching of educational programs, and for assessing

the infonnation literate individual. In addition, the standards outline the process by which

academics and librarians assess specific indicators which show that an individual is

information literate. These standards are equally useful to the students because they provide

a framework for their interaction with information in the environment. They also help to

develop their awareness of the need for a metacognitive approach to learning, making them

conscious of the explicit actions required for recognition of need, gathering, analysing and

us ing information. The seven pillars of information literacy describe outcomes and

examples of assessing students' progress towards becoming information literate. The

outcomes serve as guidelines for academics and librarians in developing local methods for

measuring students' learning.

There are different methods of assessing the outcomes, for instance both higher order and

lower order thinking skills. These assessment outcomes are based on Bloom's taxonomy of

educational objectives, which according to Haberle (in De lager and Nassimbeni, 2002:3)

requires that students should first master the cognitive skills of the lower levels of each

kn<Jwledge domain before the higher levels may be mastered. Azmi (n.d: 149) notes that

because information literacy augments students' competency with evaluating, managing

and using information, it is now considered by several regional and discipline- based

accreditation association as a very important competency for university students. These

benchmarks or standards are explained as part of the information literacy models of which

several are in use today.

18

2.5 Information literacy models

There are several infonnation literacy models that have been propagated by different

authors, theorists and academicians. These include the infonnation search and use models;

examples of such models are:

2.5.1 Seven Pillars oflnformation Literacy (SCONUL.1999)

The Seven Pillars of Infonnation Literacy model was developed by the SCONUL advisory

committee on Infonnation Literacy in 1999. The model has seven competence levels which

include the ability to recognise a need for infonnation, the ability to distinguish way in

which the infonnation gap may be addressed, the ability to construct strategies for locating

infonnation, the ability to locate and access infonnation, the ability to compare and

evaluate infonnation obtained from different sources, the ability to organise, apply and

communicate infonnation, to others in ways appropriate to the situation and the ability to

synthesise and build upon existing infonnation, contributing to the creation of new

knowledge (SCONUL, 1999:6).

2.5.2 The Big6 Skills (Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz. 1990)

According to MacDonald and Darrow, (2003: I), the Big6 Skills model is one of the most

well known models in the field and is being taught to students as a guide for their research.

It is a process model of how people of all ages solve an infonnation problem. It has six

stages of the infonnation problem-solving that the students apply in their infonnation

problem solving process, namely task definition, infonnation seeking strategies, location

and access, use of infonnation synthesis and evaluation (Eisenberg and Berkowitz,

1990:n.p)

2.5.3 Information Searcb process (Kubltbau. 1993)

Another well-known model is the infonnation search process by Kuhlthau (1993). This

model shows users' approach to the research process and how users' confidence increases

at each stage. The model has seven stages, which include initiation, selection. prefocus

exploration, fonnulation. collection, presentation and assessment (Kuhlthau, 1993:1-3).

19

2.5.4 Research Process Model (Stripling and Pitts, 1988).

Stripling and Pitts' Research Process model (I988) guides students through the stages of

creating a research paper. It has ten steps starting from choosing a research topic and

ending with the presentation of the final topic.

2.5.5 Pathways to Knowledge (pappas and Tepe, 2002)

The Information Inquiry model by Pappas and Tepe includes pathways to knowledge and is

meant to encourage students to continuously explore and reassess as they go about with

their information process. The model has six steps namely appreciation and enjoyment,

pre-search, search, interpretation, communication and evaluation.

The above mentioned information literacy models will be used in conjunction with other

well known information seeking processes, such as Ellis's model of information seeking

behaviour, Dervin's sense making theory, and Belkin's anomalous state of knowledge

(ASK) theory.

For the purpose of the study the Seven Pillars of Information Literacy, as proposed by the

Sconul working group (2003), was chosen, because the model is closer to what students

experience through in their daily information processes and it is closer to reality. This shall

be used as the framework for the discussion, and its relevance to the other models will also

be demonstrated.

2.5.5.1 The Seven Pillars of Information Literacy

The Seven Pillars of Information Literacy model is presented in the diagram below. It is

from this model, that other information literacy models' discussions shall be based on.

Each skill will be discussed and compared with the stages of other models. Examples of the

kinds of specific activity or competence which illustrate the application of the skill are

gIven.

20

Information skills model (Soureed from SCONUL position paper, 2003)

Information literacy

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Basic UlJrary SkiRs IT Skills

2.5.5.1.1 The ability to recognise a need for information.

This is the stage where a user is considered to be blank in terms of one's information needs.

Mostert (2004:124) describes the term "'need'- as a fact of or feeling of the lack of

something. It can also be seen as that which a human being should have to function

effectively. According to Belkin (in Kituyi-Kwake 2007:82) an information need is present

21

when a gap, uncertainty or deficiency in a person's cognitive state is recognised. Belkin

notes that the deficiency prevents a person from making sense of the surrounding world

and to this end it is described as "Anomalous State of knowledge" (ASK) or gaps in one's

life path to make sense of a situation

MacDonald and Darrow (2003:2) compare this stage to task definition in the Big6 skills,

and initiation and selection in Kuhlthau's information seeking process. By task definition,

in the Big6 skills model, a user determines exactly what the problem is and determines the

specific information needs related to the problem. In other words, the stage asks what

information is needed in order to solve the problem at hand, it involves questioning. This

relates to task initiation and selection by in which an individual first becomes aware of a

lack of knowledge to accomplish an assignment, feelings of uncertainty and apprehension

ensue. At this stage the task is to recognise a need for information. Thoughts are vague and

ambiguous centering on the general problem. Feelings of apprehension and uncertainty

ensue. A person is driven to seek information in order to address the problem perceived by

him. An information seeker for instance discusses with others, including peers and experts,

and browses different sources to identify a research topic, or other information need. This

in turn leads the student to explore general information resources to increase familiarity

with the topic. This involves brainstorming, discussing, thinking about possible topics and

tolerating uncertainty. The student then selects the topic for a research. Thoughts at this

stage centre on weighing topics which would best suit the student's research interests,

project requirements, information available and time available and choosing the topic with

potential for success.

When selection is delayed or postponed, feelings of anxiety, confusion are likely to

intensify until a choice is made. Feelings of uncertainty give way to a brief sense of elation

after selection has been done. Actions involve seeking information by consulting with

informal mediators, making preliminary search of the library and other Sources. Strategies

used are discussing possible topics with peers, experts and using sources for overview of

possible topics. In Strippling and Pitts' Research process model (1988: n.p) also knmvn as

(REACTS), choosing a broad topic, getting an overview of the topic, is regarded as

recalling which entails fact-finding such as reporting on the information. This is followed

22

by narrowing the topic and developing a statement of purpose. In other words, it involves

explaining, asking and searching by posing questions, for instance whether the topic chosen

will meet the users' research interests, and fmding answers to such questions. It also entails

exploring a variety of literature by reading, viewing and listening. In their model, Pappas

and Tepe (2002: 1-2) consider this stage as appreciation and enjoyment. Appreciation and

enjoyment involves questioning or raising the information need. The authors argue that

appreciation fosters curiosity and imagination which in turn leads to discovery in an

information seeking activity. As students go through the stages of information seeking, by

viewing, listening, reading and sensing, their appreciation grows and matures.

The pre-focus exploration stage in Kuhlthau Information Search Process Model also fits in

this first stage of the Seven Pillars model. The student investigates information with the

view to finding a focus. Thoughts involve becoming informed about the general topic,

identifying several possible focuses and inability to express the exact information needed.

The student feels confused, doubtful, uncertain, and sometimes threatened and then takes

action by reading to become informed, taking notes and making bibliographic citations.

Strategies that a student employs include making a survey of the notes, listing possible foci

of the topic and combining several themes to form one focus. The student then proceeds to

the next stage which is finding ways in which the information gap can be addressed.

2.5.5.1.2 The ability to distinguish ways in which the information 'gap' may be

addressed.

The second step of information process in the Seven Pillars of Information Literacy model

entails an information user being knowledgeable about both print and non-print information

resources, selecting the information resources which would go towards accomplishing a

user's research task and an ability to understand issues affecting accessibility of sources

(Sconul, 1999:7).

Baker (2005:1-2) compares this stage to focus formulation in Kuhlthau's Information

Search Process Model, formulating questions to guide research and plan for research

production in Pitts and Strippling Research Process Model and the pre-search stage in the

Pathways to Knowledge model of Pappas and Tepe. Kuhlthau (1993:1-2) notes that

exploration or investigation stage in her model is the most difficult stage for users and the

most misunderstood by the intermediaries. Feelings of confusion, uncertainty and doubt

frequently increase during this time. The task is to investigate information on the general

topic in order to extend personal understanding. Thoughts center on becoming oriented and

sufficiently informed about the topic to form a focus or a personal point of view. An

inability to state exactly what information is needed makes communication awkward

between the user and the system. Actions involve locating information relevant to the

general topic, reading to become informed and relating new information to what is already

known. Formulation involves becoming more focused on a more specific topic within the

topic. Feelings of uncertainty diminish and confidence begins to increase. The task is to

form a focus from the information encountered in exploration. Thoughts become more

clearly defined as focused perspective of the topic is formed. In formulating questions to

guide research and plan for research production stage of the Research Process Model,

Baker (2005:5) opines that the stage involves analysing, by examining and organising, and

pondering as to whether the questions lay a good foundation for the research task and

whether the research plan is feasible. The researcher then organises the information to fit

the research task at hand. Whereas at the pre-search stage, Pappas and Tepe (2002:2) are of

the opinion that, the stage enables searchers to make a connection between their topic and

the knowledge that they already have with the view to exploring the relationships among

subtopics. This purports the searchers brainstorming and questioning on what they know

about their topic and what they want to know.

2.5.5.1.3 The ability to construct strategies for locating information.

The third step in the Seven Pillars of Information Literacy model implies articulating

information needs to match against information sources, developing a systematic method

appropriate for the information need and understanding the principles of construction and

generation of databases. Baker (2005:1-2) compares this stage to information seeking

strategies of the Big6 skills model and search in the Pathways to Knowledge model. During

the information seeking strategy. in order for a student to find topic ideas or the amount of

information needed, the student would need to consult a variety of literature such as journal

articles, books on his subject. It also means determining a wide range of information

24

sources and prioritising the best of all the possibilities. This is also accomplished through

infonnation seeking and it entails the student to assess the value of various types of print

and electronic sources such as CD-RaMS, databases, browsing the Online Public Access

Catalogue (OPAC) and so on.

The sources found would give the student an idea on how to narrow his broad area of

interest. Ellis (in Choo, Detlor and Turnball, 2003: n.p) and (Wilson, 1999:6) call it

chaining and browsing. Chaining can be forward or backward. Backward chaining occurs

when pointers or references from an initial source are followed, scientists and researchers

follow this routine in their infonnation seeking. Forward chaining on the other hand,

identifies and follows up on other sources that refer to an initial source or document and it

is less commonly used. This is whereby the individual simplifies browsing by looking

through table of contents, lists of titles, subject headings, name of organisations or persons,

abstracts and summaries and so on. Browsing takes place in situations in which related

infonnation has been grouped together according to subject affinity, or when the user views

displays at an exhibition, or scans a book on a shelf Ellis (in Choo, Detlor and Turnball

:2003: n.p). Having accomplished this activity the student moves on to the next activity.

2.5.5.1.4 The ability to locate and access information.

The fourth stage of the Seven Pillars of Information Literacy Model state that a student or

an infonnation user should be able to develop an appropriate searching technique such as

the use of the Boolean operators, communication and infonnation technologies, appropriate

indexing and abstracting services, citations indexes and databases, and to use current

awareness methods to keep up to date. To this end, the models that fit here include the Big6

skills' location and access, infonnation location in Kuhlthau's Information Search Process,

find, analyse and evaluate resources in the Pills and Strippling Research Process Model and

search in the Pathways to Knowledge model.

Eisenberg and Berkowitz (1990:n.p) refer to this stage as locating and accessmg

information. This is concerned with the student selecting the most appropriate investigative

methods by developing a research plan, and identifying keywords, synonyms and related

25

tenns for the infonnation needed. The student thereafter constructs a search strategy using

appropriate commands for the infonnation access tool selected such as the use of Boolean

operators" AND", "OR" and "NOT", truncation, and proximity operators for

databaseslsearch engines and the use of OPAC, indexes and abstracts. The student goes on

to retrieve infonnation in a variety of fonnats using various infonnation access tools,

classification schemes and other systems such as call number systems or indexes, to locate

information resources within a library. Kuhlthau (1993:2-3) on the other hand, calls it

collection, this is when interaction between the user and the system functions most

effectively and efficiently. At this point, the task involves gathering relevant infonnation

on the focused topic. A user has a clearer sense of direction and can specify the need for

particular infonnation. Thoughts are engrossed in seeking infonnation to support focus,

defining extending focus through infonnation, gathering pertinent infonnation and

organising infonnation in notes. At this moment, feelings of confidence continue to

increase as uncertainty subsides with interest in the project deepening. Actions focus

around using the library and other resources to collect significant infonnation, and taking

detailed notes with bibliographic references. Strategies used include using key words to

search out significant infonnation, making a comprehensive search of various types of

materials such as reference, periodicals and non-fiction, using indexes and requesting

assistance of the librarian. This stage is equivalent of find, analyse and evaluate resources

in the Research Process Model.

In this model, a student or researcher asks oneself as to whether the sources found are

usable and adequate. In the search stage of the Pathways to Knowledge model. Pappas and

Tepe (2002:3) point out that, searchers identify appropriate information providers such as

libraries, records and archives centers, museums and so on, select infonnation resources

and tools such as indexes, people, Internet the media and references resources, and then

plan and implement a search strategy to find infonnation relevant to their research question

or infonnation need. This they can do by scanning, interviewing and confirming

information sources and recording information to determine the relevancy of information,

explore and browse widely. Ellis (in Choo, Detlor and Turnball: 2003: n.p) regards this as

extracting, which is an activity of systematically working through a particular source or

sources with the view to identify materials of interest. This is achieved by directly

26

consulting the source or by indirectly looking through the bibliographies, indexes or online

databases.

2.5.2.1.5 The ability to compare and evaluate information obtained from different

sources.

The fifth stage of the Seven Pillars of Information Literacy signifies that students or

researchers should be aware of bias and authority issues, the peer review process of

scholarly publishing and appropriate extraction of information matching the information

need. This is compared to evaluation in the Big6 skills model, search closure in Kuhlthau'

information Search Process, evaluating evidence/taking notes and compiling bibliography

in the Research Process Model and interpretation in Pathways to Knowledge model.

Eisenberg and Berkowitz, (I 990:n.p)observes that the student assesses the quantity, quality,

and relevance of the search results to determine whether alternative information access

tools or investigative methods should be utilised and identifies the gaps in the information

retrieved and determines if the search strategy should be revised. The student repeats the

search using the revised strategy as necessary, summaries the main ideas extracted from the

information gathered and examines and compares information from various sources to

evaluate the reliability, validity, accuracy, authority, timeliness and point of view or bias.

The student should be able to recognise the cultural, physical, or other context within

which the information was created and should understand the impact of context interpreting

the information. In search closure, Kuhlthau (1993:3) asserts that the task is to wrap up the

search for information. A student or researcher's thoughts are immersed in identifying

whether there is any need for additional information, increasing redundancy and exhausting

resources.

At this stage, the student or researcher feels a sense of relief, sometimes satisfaction and

sometimes disappointment. The student or researcher rechecks sources for information that

might have at the outset been unnoticed and. confirming information and bibliographic

citations relevant to the focus and research questions. Strategies used include returning to

the library to sum up the search and keeping books until completion of writing to recheck

27

information. In evaluating evidence or taking notes and compiling bibliography in the

Research Process Model, Baker (2005:5) affirms that this involves judging information on

the basis of authority, significance, bias and other factors. In EIlis' model of information

seeking behaviour (in Choo, Detlor and Tumball: 2003: n.p) this is referred to as

differentiating. This means an individual filters and selects from among the sources

scanned by noticing differences between the nature and quality of the information offered.

Priority of sources and types of sources can be made according to three main criteria

namely: by substantive topic; by approach or perspective and by level, quality, or type of

treatment. The differentiating process is likely to depend on the individual's prior

experiences with the sources, word of mouth recommendations from personal contacts, or

reviews in published sources.

2.5.5.1.6 The ability to organise, apply and communicate information to others in

ways appropriate to the situation.

The stage, calls for students or researchers to cite bibliographic references in their

academic works, construct a personal bibliographic system, apply information to the

problem at hand, communicate information effectively using the appropriate medium and

to understand issues pertaining to copyright and plagiarism (SCONUL, 1999:6). This can

be related to information use in the Big6 skills model, communication in Pathways to

Knowledge model. According to Pappas and Tepe (2002:3), the communication stage

allows searchers to organise, apply, and present new knowledge applicable to their research

questions or information need. In applying information, searchers choose an appropriate

communication format and respect intellectual property. In sharing knowledge, the searcher

composes, designs, edits, revises and uses the most effective medium such as the video,

report, animation and conveys the information.

In communicating information to others, the student, should understand cultural. ethical,

legal, and socio-economic issues surrounding information and identify articulate issues in

relation to privacy. In addition, the student needs to note security in both the print and

electronic environments, identify and articulate issues in relation to free versus fee based

access to information. identify and discuss issues in relation to censorship and freedom of

28

speech and to demonstrate an understanding of intellectual property, copyright and fair use

of copyrighted materials. To avoid issues of plagiarism, the student should acknowledge

the use of information sources by selecting an appropriate citation style in project reports

and theses.

2.5.5.1.7. The ability to synthesise and build upon existing information, contributing

to the creation of new knowledge.

Synthesis in the Big6 skills Model by Eisenberg and Berkowitz, presentation In

Information Search process by Kuhlthau, and establish conclusions/organise information in

outline and create and present final product in Research Process model by Pitts and

Striplling fit in the seventh stage of Seven Pillars model.

In Synthesising information, according to Eisenberg and Berkowitz (1990:n.p), the student

brings information together, and relating what the student learnt to what he already knows.

The student chooses a communication medium and format that best supports the purposes

of the product and the intended audience. By writing a draft which links various pieces of

information into a coherent piece and revises the draft a number of times for a better

understanding before submitting it. Kuhlthau's (1993:n.p), on the other hand, views it as

presentation. This is when the task is to complete the search and to accomplish the

assignment. A sense of relief is common, with satisfaction if the search has gone well or

disappointment if it has not. Thoughts center on culminating the searching with a

personalised understanding of selected aspects of the topic under study. Finally, the student

has to combine concepts into potentially useful primary statements with supporting

evidence and integrate the prior and new information including words and ideas, in a

manner that supports the purposes of the project. In establishing conclusions and organising

information in an outline, a searcher, according to Pitts and Striplling (Stripling and Pitts,

1988: n.p) draws conclusions by creating a personal perspective based on information

obtained. The outline should logically organise conclusions and evidence. In creating and

presenting final the final product. Pitts and Striplling (Stripling and Pitts. 1988: n.p) are of

the view that this should reflect on whether the paper is satisfactory.

29

[n the Infonnation skills model diagram above, at the base of the model are the twin

fundamental building blocks of basic library skills and basic Infonnation Techno[ogy skills

(Lock 2003:n.p.). The progression from novice to expert is indicated by an arrow. First

year undergraduates will largely be at the bottom of the arrow, perhaps only practicing the

first four skills, whilst postgraduate and research students will aim to be towards the expert

end, and will be aspiring to the seventh

The skills discussed above, shall be used to investigate the students' ability to handle

various aspects of infonnation such as using infonnation ethically by writing citations and

references in their academic works, to detennine whether students are able to

independently search and retrieve infonnation. The competencies shall also be used to find

out whether the institutions under study have incorporated them in their curricula. The

above competencies can be inculcated into the students by teaching them in the form of

formal classes in their respective subjects. [fthe module or course of information literacy is

to be taught in formal classes, and attract marks, it then has to be embedded into the

curriculum ofthe teaching department.

2.6. Integration of information literacy into the curriculum

Integrating information literacy into the curriculum is one of the ways by which students

can effectively be taught skills and gain the ability to perform various information tasks as

discussed above. Zais (in Selematsela 2oo5:24) defines a curriculum as a race course of

subject matters to be mastered. Styn (in Selematsela 2005:24) clarifies the concept

racecourse as meaning the idea of schooling is a race over a course to receive something at

the finishing line. It includes a list of subjects that need to be completed. Curriculum may

refer to the planned learning experiences to which the student is exposed. Zais (ibid) gives

the components of a curriculum as including the aims, goals, and objectives; the subject

matter or content; learning activities; and evaluation following a pattern of content

organisation.

Many authors and practitioners have debated on the model that the integration of

infonnation literacy into the curriculum should take, with one school of thought proposing

the idea of having a stand-alone information literacy course. and another school for the idea

30

of integrating Information Literacy into the overall curriculum. Proponents of an across­

the-curriculum approach, Orr, Appleton and WalIin, (2001:n.p) indicate that "one-off,"

demonstration-style information skills classes delivered out of curriculum context do not

necessarily coincide with the students' need for information, are sometimes not valued by

the students, and do not necessarily prepare them for the challenges of research, problem

solving and continuous learning. As such, librarians prefer to use an across-the-curriculum

model that incorporates the process of seeking, evaluating, and using information into the

curriculum and consequently, into all students' experiences. This approach allows the use

of information to become part of the learning process. This view is shared by De Jagger

and Nassimbeni (2002: 12) who observe that, there was a shift among librarians in South

Africa from being satisfied with the standalone, generic model for information literacy

programs, to the recognition that integration into subject curricula is a more effective

approach to information literacy training. Parker (2003:n.p.) upholds the view that "the

total integration of information literacy into the curriculum where an information literacy

activity is embedded into the student's course materials, delivered in the context of the

subject they are studying, attracts marks, and is devised on the basis of collaboration

between library staff and academic colleagues, is often put forward by practitioners as the

most effective method for enabling students to develop their information literacy skills.

However, the reality in most institutions is that this approach is not always feasible given

the demands of already overloaded curricula."

To gain insight into the variety of approaches this study discusses the practices in

universities in different parts of the world referring to Denmark and the United Kingdom in

Europe, Qatar in the Middle-East and South Africa in Africa.

Reporting on the practices in Denmark, Skov and Skrerbak (2003:n.p.) state that integration

of Information Literacy into the curriculum ensures that students attend and receive credit

for information literacy sessions. The two authors argue that it makes more sense to teach

information literacy skills to students within the context of their subject areas, rather than

as an optional add-on skill. Skov and Ska:rbak (ibid) give a synopsis of the situation in

Danish institutions of higher education where librarians agree that integration is the key to

successful implementation of information literacy skills, and work hard to forge alliances

31

with teaching faculty in a number of ways. Integration of infonnation literacy into the

curriculum requires collaboration among faculty, librarians and administrators. Skov and

Skrerbak (ibid) report some success stories that have been recorded at other institutions of

education such as the Holstebro School of Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy.

According to Skov & Skrerbak (2003: n.p.), integration of lnfonnation Literacy into the

curriculum has been a carefully planned joint venture among all parties involved. A

number of preconditions for success were present. The requirements of infonnation literacy

were laid down in the study plans, there was a new library environment with no pre­

established routines, the management was committed to the project, and there was a wish to

break down the walls from all stakeholders. A new organisational scheme based on teams

involving a librarian and a number of teachers ensured that the library was integrated into

the learning environment of the school, and that all parties had ownership of the vision of

the library as a focal point for learning. All courses in infonnation literacy are incorporated

into the curriculum and taught by the librarian in conjunction with the subject teacher.

Moreover, members of the teaching staff work in the library as subject and pedagogical

advisors, guiding students in their literature search. This example of best practice shows

that integration of infonnation literacy into the curriculum is arguably most successful

when it is developed as part of an institution-wide policy, and when the requirements of

information literacy are laid down in study plans (Skov & Skrerbak 2003: n.p.).

Parker (2003: n.p.) notes that at the Open University in the United Kingdom, an on-line

infonnation literacy package named Skills in Accessing, Finding and Reviewing

Information (SAFARI) has been developed. The academic staff has been involved in

writing course material. The model is ideal for students seeking to update their skills since

it can be used as a training package from start to finish. Students are encouraged to work

through SAFARI in its entirety, or parts of it. It is, therefore, a useful tool towards the total

integration of lnfonnation Literacy into the curriculum. Parker (2003:n.p) observes that the

package is cost effective. easy to update since it features no printed materials, and ensures

that there is a "scalable, practical solution to the problem of delivering infonnation literacy,

both in bulk and at a distance" Another model that the Open University had been testing is

the provision of small. manageable chunks of learning that places an increased focus on the

skills agenda, the result being, Making Sense of Information In the Connected Age

(MOSAIC), which is an assessed, credit-bearing short course In information literacy

(Parker 2003:n.p). It had been written by staff in the Library's Information Literacy Unit

and is hosted by the Faculty of Education and Language Studies. The development of

MOSAIC, according to Parker (2003:n.p), was made possible with the collaboration

between academic and library staff, in terms of the delivery of information literacy. It also

relied on bringing together other expertise from across the University and further afield.

This expertise was provided by the Information Literacy Unit staff who where the main

authors, academic advisors from the Faculty of Education and Language Studies, the

Centre for Outcomes-Based Education, together with input from members of the SCONUL

Advisory Committee who critically read the course. The main teaching materials are

delivered via the course Web site, and consist of short pieces of text and graphics

interspersed with interactive activities, based on those created for SAFARI. Students also

receive a course folder containing printed materials. These consist of a course guide, course

readings, some of which are available on-line and a printed version of the on-line

assessment portfolio, intended to help students get a "feel" for what the assessment is about

(Parker, 2003: n.p).

In Qatar, Azmi (n.d: 159) reports that in order to conform to the Qatar University vision of

adding information competence as a graduation requirement for students, the Qatar

University has integrated the Information Literacy Course into the main curriculum. The

new course being Information and Research Skills is offered as a compulsory course to all

university students regardless of their subject specialty. Azmi (ibid) affirms that integrating

Information Literacy into the overall curriculum requires collaboration among the library,

academic departments and administration so as to meet the common goal of teaching

information literacy.

In writing about Information Literacy imitative in South Africa of which Information

Literacy (lNFOLlT) project has been the prominent one, Underwood (2002:8), reports that

the University of Cape Toym had recognised the importance of information literacy by

establishing the Centre for Information Literacy. The members of staff at the Centre for

Information Literacy are responsible for working with the academic staff of all the faculties

33

with the view to developing strategies for the integration of information literacy within the

faculties' curricula A series of discipline based workshops on Web searching had been

developed using a template. The workshops were delivered on request to academic, library

staff and students at each of the five institutions in the cape region. The INFOLlT project

sponsored the development of a Web-based information literacy course. The site is meant

to help explore, how to find, evaluate, use and communicate information. It is available at

all the tertiary institutions in the Western Cape Province (Underwood, 2002:7).

The incorporation of information literacy into the curricula of universities under study can

not be overemphasised. Of critical significance is the information literacy competencies

discussed above, that have to be incorporated into the curricula of the universities and

taught to students in the form of module or course. In order to effectively inculcate

information literacy skills to students, various players have to partake in the teaching of

information literacy that has been embedded into the department's curriculums.

2.7 Collaboration on teaching ofteaching Information literacy.

Collaboration in this case means teamwork or forming partnerships In the teaching of

information literacy. Various authors have supported the idea of collaborative teaching in

information literacy. Bruce (2002: 13) observes that Information literacy is not possible

without partnerships with students, information specialists, Information Technology

specialists, curriculum designers and others. All these need to collaborate since there is no

single group that can claim responsibility for information literacy amongst students. This

view is in tandem with that of Orr, Appleton and Wallin (2001 :n.p) who assert that faculty

and librarians at Central Queensland University (CQU) in Australia share responsibilities in

the sense that the faculty delivers the content and librarians deliver the information literacy

segments thereby introducing the skills at the same time and making the students to learn

the information inquiry process, hence furthering their comprehension of the course

content. Barbour, Gavin and Canefield (2004: 3) note that collaboration among faculty.

librarians and technical staff is important for coming up with appropriate training needs.

information sources, learning modules. and computer and information literacy

requirements, as well as to assist students gain expertise in technical design and interface

34

issues that will help them succeed in a university environment and beyond. In South Africa,

the introduction of Computer skills and information literacy at the University of Pretoria in

1998 necessitated collaboration between the Departments of Information Science,

Informatics and Computer Science as well as the academic information service in the

development ofthe course (Thompson, 2000:3). Williams and Zald (I 997:n.p) states that at

the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, in the United States of America,

librarians play a vital, and evolving role in collaborating with faculty to implement the

changes necessary for an effective information literacy curriculum. From workshop

presentations to one-on-one consultations, faculty perceive librarians as more than a

collections-related resource, and more of a service and training-centered resource. From

the foregoing, it shows that collaboration to some extent involves sharing of the roles and

responsibilities in the teaching of information literacy which shall be discussed in the next

section.

2.8 Responsibility for Information literacy.

Responsibility in this context connotes being accountable or ID charge of the design,

delivery and evaluation of information literacy.

2.8.1 The Role and Responsibilities of the Institution

According to Alien (2000:n.p) the university or college has an opportunity. and a

challenge, to prepare students to meet the demands of the Information Age. Institutions

need to identifY what graduates should know and be able to do. Jones in Alien (2000: n.p)

note that recipients of a quality education share certain attributes: critical thinking.

problem solving, a global vision and a multicultural perspective, scientific literacy,

preparedness for work and good citizenship. It is for this reason that institutions must be

accountable for how far their students go from the freshman year to graduation. Alien

(2000: n.p) further opines that Universities and other institutions of higher learning should

be responsible for producing graduates who are able to find, evaluate and apply needed

information. In this case. administrators must set the tone for the entire campus. by

incorporating information literacy into the undergraduate curriculum and developing

3S

programs that immerse students into infonnation literacy throughout their undergraduate

years. Rather than producing graduates who are simply equipped to enter the workforce,

institutions should go beyond this goal and broaden their scope to produce enlightened

graduates who are able to freely pursue happy lives and shape the infonnation society of

which they are a part.

2.8.2 The Role and Responsibilities of the Academic Library and Librarian

According to Angeley and Purdue (n.d: n.p) libraries have centrally positioned themselves

in defining and implementing infonnation literacy programs for many reasons; libraries are

concerned with information in that, they acquire, describe and make available infonnation

in a variety of formats, including print, video, audio, and electronic. Libraries have also

traditionally provided a place for quiet contemplation and scholarly pursuits as well as

instruction in research methods. Angeley and Purdue (n.d: n.p), note that the infonnation

literacy model necessitates positive change in the instructional mission of the library.

Rather than just providing traditional library orientations and tours, often taught out-of­

context of an assignment, the library's expanded instructional role emphasises infonnation­

seeking behavior within the context of an information need, today's library instruction is

focused on teaching students research strategies that require active engagement, fosters

problem solving, and emphasises critical evaluation of information. The emphasis is on

enabling students to become independent researchers and thereby encouraging lifelong

learning.

According to Alien (2000: n.p.) the incorporation of information literacy across curricula

requires collaboration between all members of the higher education community,

particularly faculty, librarians and administrators. Schaffner, Stebbins, & Wyman in (Alien

2000: n.p) opine that libraries and librarians have an opportunity to improve the quality of

undergraduate education by participating in and strengthening infonnation literacy

programmes. In order to do this, libraries need to adopt a broader conceptualisation of the

role of the academic library beyond collecting, organising and preserving materials. In

other words, the academic library becomes a teaching library, which is actively involved in

all aspects of higher education, teaching, research and community service A teaching

36

library according to Boisse, Guskin and Stoffie (in Alien 2000: n.p) is characterised by its

commitments to:

• Instructing students, faculty and staff;

• Fostering a climate which encourages lifelong learning;

• Maintaining a collection which stimulates inquiry;

• Making the library the cultural center for the campus and community; and

• Engaging in research to improve library services. The same purpose applies

though, to teach students and faculty how to find, evaluate and use information

effectively.

2.8.3 The Roles and Responsibilities of the Teaching Faculty

Alien (2000:n.p) lay emphasis on the fact that the faculty engage librarians as co-teachers.

The faculty' role remains that of facilitators of learning, helping their students, with the

assistance of librarians. Faculty instruct their students, as they work through their own

thought processes. This is more valuable to students' development as lifelong learners than

simply transmitting information in a specific field.

This brings us to the next topic of learning and teaching of information literacy In

institutions of higher learning.

2.9 Learning and teaching of information literacy in Institutions of higher learning.

The discussion on learning and teaching of information literacy looks at different learning

and teaching modes being employed in different institutions of higher learning starting

from Australia. to Canada., New Zealand, United States of America and Kenya and South

Africa in Africa.

37

In order to come up with an educated and information literate graduate of the 21 st century,

who is able to find, evaluate and apply needed information, universities need to rethink the

teaching-learning process and implement programs where information literacy skills are

incorporated and taught. Schaffuer, Stebbins, and Wyman (in Alien, 2000:n.p) report that,

in order to improve undergraduate education, resource-based learning should be the

standard model of learning on university campuses given that it allows for an active

undergraduate learning environment. It also incorporates undergraduate research, service

learning, inquiry learning, problem-based learning and evidence-based learning.

Additionally, it fosters the achievement of information literacy competencies and results in

a tangible outcome or accomplishment, such as a solution to a community problem.

Some benefits of this type ofleaming are:

• Development of interpersonal skills through teamwork;

• Achievement of greater academic success through accommodating differences in

learning needs and

• Development of critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is linked to resource-based

learning, as healthy skepticism of mass media and assessment of scholarly quality

of information is part of such a curriculum. As a result, students become wary

consumers of information (Brevier, in Alien 2000:n.p).

Universities can incorporate information literacy into the undergraduate learning

experience in a variety of ways: in freshman courses, general education or core courses, or

integrated within subject-specific courses.

A scrutiny of the learning and teaching of information literacy modes in Australia reveals

that at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT, 2006: n.p) three approaches to

learning and teaching strategies for information literacy are applied; namely

Extracurricular. Inter-curricula and Intra-curricula. Extracurricular strategy involves

lectures, workshops and short courses on basic information skills and are provided by

library staff and attended at the discretion of individual students. Information literacy

content learnt in such interactions is generic, that is, they are discipline-neutral and non­

targeted, meaning they are not aligned with any unit and/or course. The outcome is short-

38

tenn functional application of basic infonnation skills (QUT, 2006: n.p). The second

approach is Inter-curricula, in which infonnation literacy learning activities develop

specific enabling skills linked to the core curriculum of students. These activities generally

take the fonn of lectures, workshops and/or short courses on basic infonnation skills which

are designed and delivered by library staff in at the request of, the individual teaching

academic. They are typically attended by groups of students as a unit requirement and may

be scheduled into a unit timetable. Infonnation literacy content is generally contextualised

within a unit curriculum or discipline and timetable and targeted to the broad but

immediate needs of students in a single unit. The outcome is task-specific application of

basic infonnation skills (QUT, 2006: n.p). The third and final strategy used by the QUT

(2006: n.p) is Intra-curricula. Infonnation literacy learning opportunities develop

transferable skills embedded within the core curriculum of students. The learning is

designed, delivered, assessed and evaluated through collaboration between academic and

library staff. Conceptual knowledge and skills development is addressed within the full

curricula of a course. Infonnation literacy content is always contextualised within the

content. Through recursive and iterative learning opportunities, the outcome is deep,

durable learning and transferable understanding and application of complex information

literacy concepts and skills (QUT, 2006: n.p).

According to Dazkiw and Forsyth (2003:3) at the La Trobe University, in Canada

Information Literacy as a subject for the Bachelor of Nursing degree is published and

presented online in WebCT modules and is delivered as a set of lectures. Fonnal lectures

were improved with standard tutorials, and workshops. In New Zealand, at the University

of Otago, Wartho (n.d:4) reports that there has been a development of a three tiered

teaching and learning programme in infonnation literacy. The three tiers are; traditional

user education which mostly requires the library providing a range of tours and classes. The

teaching sessions are offered throughout the academic year, with the peak demand being at

the beginning of each semester and is offered to the whole academic community.

Attendance is voluntary, though highly recommended by some academic staff. Some

problems experienced include the different levels and abilities that may be represented in a

particular session. Each of the subjects taught has a reference librarian who contacts each

39

academic department to promote the subject classes. The sessions range from subject­

oriented tours to the use of discipline specific academic databases. In addition sessions

also extend to personalised research consultations with post-graduate students and staff.

The second tier offered is Information Literacy competency guide, which according to

(Wartho, n.d: 7) is an interdisciplinary framework that provides a range of competencies

appropriate for particular academic levels. The Information Literacy guide is designed to

provide academic staff, librarians and students from all academic disciplines at the

university with a general indication appropriate information literacy competencies for each

level of academic study. The guide, argues Wartho, has enabled academic staff to easily

identitY skills appropriate for their students and has proved to be very popular across a

diverse range of subjects. In other words, the model is moving in the direction of assisting

the integration of information literacy into the curriculum at all academic levels across

many different subjects. The third tier is Curriculum embedded information literacy, which

according to Wartho involved the selection of Sociology in 2003 as the first subject in

which to embed Information literacy programme at first and third year level. The

embedding of information literacy into sociology programme has a closer working

relationship between librarians and academic staff. In short, (Wartho, n.d.:8) observes that

the three tiers of information literacy at the University of Otago are proving to be an

effective model for the development of transferable Information Literacy skills.

According to Williams and Zald (1997: n.p.), the trend at the University of Washington

(UW), in the University States of America, is that in order to address the information

literacy needs, a holistic, campus-wide approach called UWired has been developed. The

primary goal of UWired is to create an electronic community in which communication,

collaboration, and information technologies are integral to teaching and learning;

ultimately, the aim is for information literacy to be a hallmark of a UW degree. Librarians,

faculty, computing staff, administrators, and students from a number of units across

campus are collaborating in this project, including Undergraduate Education, Computing &

Communications, University Libraries, and University Educational Outreach. The UWired

programme has a series of lectures, which include specific teaching techniques.

Collaboration exists between faculty and Librarians and faculty. with the later regarding

40

librarians as a service and training-focused resource. Both faculty and librarians have

stepped out of their nonnal roles to transfonn teaching to incorporate infonnation and

technological literacy. The Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology provides

consulting, training and support to faculty who want to integrate learning technologies into

their courses. A team of consultants, including a librarian, is available to assist with

course-related technology projects, and drop-in workshops are also offered. (Williams

and Zald, 1997: n.p). Kasowitz-Scheer and Pasqualoni (2003:4) state that at the University

of Texas at Austin's Texas Information Literacy Tutorial (TILT), there is an integration of

Web-based Infonnation Literacy Tutorial into first year college courses, which enhances

students' conceptual grasp of infonnation resource selection, databases searching and

internet source evaluation.

In Africa, KavuIya (2003:n.p) reports that the development of information literacy efforts

in Kenyan universities involve the offer of communication skills course to undergraduate

students regardless of their subject specialisation. In the course, students are taught a wide

variety of skills including the use of the library, reading and writing skills, so that the

students can become familiar with skills associated with university academic work. The

gist of the course is to make interaction between students and information resources

possible by enhancing user independence, confidence and accuracy in exploiting the

information resources for learning purposes. The library skills component of the

communication skills course is to ensure that the user can exploit library resources

adequately, by establishing a link between the subject taught and the literature available. It

was found that in most institutions of higher learning that Kavulya had examined, the

communication skills course is compulsory and examined. Fidzani (2006: Ill) adds that

information literacy fonn part of an accredited Communication skills course at the

University of Nairobi, in Kenya, while at the University of Botswana, the Infonnation

Literacy component is offered as part of the computing and lnfonnation skills course,

which is compulsory to all first year students. Fidzani (ibid) observes that Infonnation

Literacy also takes the fonn of user education programmes. which cover similar topics as

those offered in examinable courses above. The programmes range from one-off sessions

on the use of the library and its resources to structured sessions olTered throughout the year.

4\

These instruction lessons are not compulsory, but they are offered to those who register for

them.

In South Africa, De lager, Nassimbeni and Underwood (2007: 143) narrate that the current

position is that most institutions of higher learning offer library orientation, whose training

include the use of the OPAC, electronic databases, citations and referencing. De lager,

Nassimbeni and Underwood note that there is growing evidence of a greater number of

Information Literacy modules being embedded into various curricula. While the majority

of courses are still generic and stand alone, others are credit bearing. Most institutions have

a librarian whose primary responsibility is information literacy education very often

supported by subject librarians who offer training in their specific fields or disciplines.

Some of the training is delivered in classrooms or computer laboratories while others are

offered virtually through platforms such as Web-CT. A training librarian makes the point,

however, that at her institution they are unable to offer an online course as many of their

students come "from rural areas, farms and townships where there are no libraries and

computers."

At the former Rand Afrikaans University Molepo and Vuren (2005: 144), recount that the

university launched a multimodal approach to teaching and learning in 2003. The

multimodal approach was aimed at optimising, learning and assessment and has been

defined as the use of different media or modes of delivery of teaching. The different media

and technologies used in the integrated, multimodal learning environment include; lectures

by lecturers, support by tutors, paper based learning guides, interactive CDs, textbooks,

videos, videoconferencing and the Web ( electronic classes based on WebeT software and

offered to students via Edulink virtual learning environment portal).

At Monash University, South Africa, Kibirige (2005: 131) gives an account that the

learning and teaching process involve in some instances. lecturers arranging for customised

classes for groups of students for search assistance related to a specific assignment. Such a

session covers the Voyager catalogues as well as reference works, search strategies and

online databases relevant to an essay topic. There is liaison between the library and the

Center for Learning and Teaching and some lecturers attend Information literacy skills

42

taught to subject groups on an ad hoc basis. The other process is through curriculum

integrated sessions, in which there is one formally scheduled session in the academic

timetable: a two- hour class on "Doing research on the Internet", a part of first year course

in Contemporary studies. Students complete an assignment for credit towards their

semester mark. The students develop the skills that are necessary for effective Internet

research by completing specific exercises. The model could be extended to other course

unit (Kibirige, 2005: I3 I).

Most South African institutions of higher learning discussed above, teach students

searching ad retrieval of information by using different access tools such as the OPAe. The

use of the access tools forms the basis for the next discussion.

2.10 Infonnation Access tools

With the plethora of information that exists on most topics, without information access

tools, a user would be frustrated by not knowing if information required exists and where to

find it. It is for this reason therefore that Ojedokun (2007: 64) argues that the research

process which requires a user to find information on a particular SUbject/topic depends on

the users' skill full use of the appropriate access tools. Access tools include indexes and

abstracts, bibliographies, catalogues and web search tools.

2.10.1 Open Access Public Catalogue (OPAC)

Rowley and Farrow (1992: 246) define a catalogue as a list of the documents in a library

with the entries representing the documents arranged for access in some systematic order.

Catalogues today are often held as a computer database, usually called an OPAe. An

OPAC can be searched using an authors' name, a title or a key word. A catalogue

comprises a number of entries, each of which is an access point for a document. A

document may have several entries or just one.

2.10.2 An Index

Indexes can be referred to as are reference tools that point to pieces 0 in formation located

within a document. and they are also a list of records that describe some selected

43

publications such as periodical indexes. In other words, an index represents, what has been

published in a certain subject area within a particular period of time. An example of such is

a periodical index (Ojedokun, 2007: 65).

2.10.2.1 Periodical Indexes

Periodical indexes are lists of records organised by subject or author that describe articles

published in elected sets of magazines, journals or newspapers during a certain period. A

basic periodical index enables a user to search for citations to articles by subject or by

author, but does not give description of the content of the article beyond the basic citation

such as the author, title, journal title, volume and the page that allows one to locate the

article. Most periodical indexes are published periodically such as on a monthly or

quarterly basis. These could be general indexes such as the Reader's guide to Periodical

Literature and subject specific such as a Periodical Literature in Library and Information

Science (Ojedokun, 2007: 65-66).

2.10.3 Abstracts

Abstracts are summaries of the content of an article with some bibliographic information.

Abstracts allow a user to assess the relevance of a document before obtaining it (Hart.

200 I: 80). Most indexes and abstracts are now available as online computer databases that

offer more powerful searching and enable the user to cover many years with a single

search. A database contains machine-readable records for the purpose of information

storage and retrieval. Examples of abstracts include Library and Information Science

Abstracts (LlASA), Chemical Abstracts (CA) and so on (Ojedokun, 2007: 67).

Training is based on the assumption that both students and academics already have a basic

knowledge of computer operations and so only minimal instruction is given on navigating

the particular software being used. But the reality is that most students come from a

background where they have never used a computer and only very few students have this

capability, and so very few approach computers to try out their search skills. This leads to

problems that are faced in the teaching and learning of information literacy.

44

The above mentioned information access tools shall be used to investigate whether the

students have the ability to use them in their searching and retrieval of information.

2.11 Problems faced in the teaching and learning of information literacy

Several problems faced in the teaching and learning of information literacy has been

identified and they are discussed below:

2.11.1 Diverse groups.

Winfred and Manning in (Selematsela, 2005:30) observe that the student population of

today is very diverse and teachers are responsible for classrooms that represent students of

different colours, racial and ethnic groups, religion languages, backgrounds, ages and

learning styles and computer skills. As such, students enter the university with a greater

polarity of skills thereby making it difficult for academic and library staff to pitch

information literacy sessions at the same level (Moore and Abson in Selematsela, 2005:30).

In any case, Winfield and Manning in (Selematsela, 2005:30) note that diversity in the case

of students involves two issues, namely intergroup and individual differences. Intergroup

differences are more pronounced in socio-economic levels, racial, ethnic and language

groups and physical ability. Within the intergroup differences and within each learner

group, there are individual differences in learning rates, attitudes and motivational rates.

which have a bearing in achievement outcomes that academic and library staff must

accommodate.

2.11.2 Language and Cultural barriers.

Selematsela (2005:31) notes that most learners that study in South African Universities

have come from Southern African Developing Countries (SADC) and beyond and also

include locals, whose mother tongue is not English. Most of these learners use English as a

second language. This has some implications on their learning. Conteh (in Selematsela.

2005: 31) asserts that the inclusion of learners from diverse language and cultural

backgrounds in the same information literacy instruction session becomes problematic in

the teaching of information literacy and the risk of misunderstanding. Students from

disadvantaged backgrounds have unique obstacles that they have to overcome in order for

45

them to independently use the library and information resources. It is for this reason that

academic and library staff during their teaching should be sensitive to issues of

communication, learning styles and students' previous experiences.

In addition to language barriers, there are also cultural barriers, which include students'

reluctance to ask for help and their shyness and relationship to authority.

2.11.3 Research skills

Throll in (Selematsela, 200S:31) is of the view that students tend to use the Internet for

playing games, chatting, downloading music and movies, such that if they turn to scholarly

electronic resources licensed by libraries, their search skills are poor and they are unable to

distinguish appropriate from inappropriate resources for their assignments. Undergraduate

students from the disadvanged backgrounds have little experience of using a research

library. This is summed up by Kaufman in (Selematsela, 2005:31), who says "students

come complete with the confidence that they can find anything they want to know or need

on the Web."

2.11.4 Cbanges in students and tbe curricula

Throll in (Selematsela, 2005:3 I) observes that "modem students' behaviour leaves much to

be desired." The perception is that they read less and have less intellectual curiosity. Or it

could be that they are too busy to explore and learn about what libraries have to offer. The

other factor might be that academic departments are assigning fewer projects that require

use of library resources. The postgraduate honours students and students enrolled in pre­

professional programmes are more frequently library users than masters and doctoral level

students and those majoring in business, mathematics or science.

Zabel in (Selematsela, 2005:31) note that students regard library instruction as an isolated

activity, unless they are required to apply what they have learned. The answer lies in

delivering instruction that is directly applicable to students' projects. This needs the

collaboration of academic department and the library staff.

46

2.11.5 Technology issues

Insufficient computer facilities and slow Internet connections makes efficient information

literacy teaching very difficult. To compound the problem some students do not have

computing skills. The problem of slow connectivity affects the time frame in which a topic

could be taught and its completion (Dazkiw and Forsyth (2003:7).

2.12 Summary

From the above writing, it can be deduced that information literacy is a very important

component of our daily lives whether one is at an academic institution, at home and at work

place. Information literacy helps individuals in planning for the information task, searching

for information, retrieving information, locating information and selecting the information.

Without information skills, individuals would be lost in the vast amount of information that

is available on the arena. It is for this reason therefore, that individuals should be equipped

with information skills in order for them to interact with the information resources

independently and competently without unnecessarily depending on information

intermediaries. Hence the justification for institutions of higher learning to incorporate

information literacy courses in their curricula so as to make it mandatory to teach students

such a course.

The methodology, which explains the way in which the research has been conducted, is

presented in Chapter 3.

47

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

The main purpose of this chapter is to indicate how the research was conducted. This

chapter reports on the methodology and methods used, study population, sampling,

research instruments, data collection procedures, pilot study, data analysis and ends with a

conclusion.

3.2 Methodology

Research methodology is the way in which data is collected for the research project. It is

basically a set of procedures and methods used to conduct research. Two approaches;

quantitative and qualitative approaches can be distinguished. Quantitative research

according to Burns (2000: 43), uses descriptive aspects of statistics which enables the

researcher to summarise quantities of data by using graphs and numbers such as values and

percentages. In other words, a researcher would reduce a large amount of data to simpler,

more understandable terms. Research methods in a quantitative study include experiment,

survey, content analysis and existing statistics (Neumann, 2000:56).

Qualitative research method, according to Neuman (2000: 122), does not use statistics, but

data in the form of words, pictures. sound, visual, images or objects. Furthermore, Neuman

(2000:122) defines a qualitative study as an investigation meant to understanding a social

or human problem. Qualitative research involves a detailed reporting of feelings, opinions,

attitudes, beliefs and behaviour of the respondents by use of words aided by pictures,

sound, visual, images or objects.

This study employed qualitative and quantitative approaches as it allowed the researcher to

obtain comprehensive and detailed data about the teaching and learning of information

Iiteracy at the institutions under study.

48

3.2.1 Method

3.2.2 Survey method

A research method is the first step by which a research project is implemented. There are

many research methods that are used in the Social Sciences; chief among these is the

survey method. A social survey research involves a systematic and comprehensive

collection of information about the opinions, attitudes, feelings, beliefs and behavior of

people. This collection is often accomplished through observation, interviewing or

administering of questionnaires to a relatively large and representative sample of the

population of interest (Aina & Ajiferuke, 2002:32).

3.3 Population

The term population refers to a large well defined group from which a sample is drawn and

which is specified in very concrete terms (Neuman 2000:20 I). An example of population

can be a person, a group, an organisation, a written document or symbolic message or even

a social action that is being measured. To define the population, a researcher specifies the

unit being sampled, the geographical location and the temporal boundaries.

This study targeted lecturers in the Departments of Library and Information Science

responsible for teaching information literacy, library stalT and students of the selected

institutions. The population for students, academic stalT and library stalT of the University

of Zululand, Durban University of Technology and the Mzuzu University is illustrated in

table I below.

Table I: Students, academic and library staff population.

Institution! Universi of Zululand

Durban Universi ofTechnoloi Mzuzu University

i Students8.706

21,316i 1,400

Popnlation, Academic staffi 281

595120

! Libra347213

staff

The data provided by Computer Security. IT 5(2007) for the University of Zululand, OUT

Management Information Systems 6(2007). and Institutional Audit Portfolio Report \2007)

5 V. Kungwini (2007). Computer security, ITS Training Manager. University of Zululand: KwaDlangez~'a.

49

for the Durban University of Technology and Senior Assistant Registrar for Academics8,

for Mzuzu University.

3.4 Sampling

Neuman (2000:195-196) identifies two types of sampling namely probability sampling and

non-probability sampling. Probability sampling is sampling in which the researcher can

determine the chances each element in the sampling frame has to be included in the sample.

It gives each and every member of the population an equal chance of being selected for the

sample. Examples of types of probability sampling include simple random sampling,

stratified sampling and cluster sampling.

Non-probability sampling is whereby the researcher has no means of determining the

chances of inclusion to the sample of a particular element in the population. The sample

may be drawn depending on a determined size in advance, but there is no assurance of

representativeness. Examples of such types of sampling include haphazard sampling, quota

sampling, snowball sampling, deviant-ease sampling, sequential sampling and theoretical

sampling.

This study used non-probability sampling, in particular quota sampling for students. Aina

and Ajifuruke (2002:37-38) write that quota sampling attempts to create a representative

sample by specifying quotas, or targets, of particular types of people that need to be

included to represent the population. Once defined, the researcher approaches people in the

relevant categories. People become sample members as long as the quotas have not been

filled. The population in this study was first categorised according to faculties. levels of

study whether undergraduate or post-graduate, male and female and then selected

haphazardly. As for staff, the study used purposive sampling. Purposive sampling refers to

a judgemental form of sampling in which the researcher, bases his or her knowledge of the

population, handpicks certain groups or individuals for their relevance to the issue being

studied (Aina and Ajifuruke, 2002:37-38).

6 Management Information Systems (2007). Durban L'niversity ofTechnolog)': Durban.7 Institutional Audit Portfolio Report (2007). Durban University ofTechnolol!V: Durban8 Ngwira. Y. (2007). Senior Assistant Registrar-Academics, \1zuzu University: \'1alawi

50

3.4.1 Sample size and Sample frame

Sample size depends largely on the degree to which the sample population approximates

the qualities and characteristics of the general population. Gay and Airasian in Leedy and

Orrnrod (2005:207) provide the following guidelines for selecting a sample size:

• For small population (with fewer than 100 people or other unit), there is little point

in sampling. A researcher has to survey the entire population;

• If the population size is around 500, 50% of the population should be sampled;

• If the population size is around 1,500, 20% should be sampled and

• Beyond a certain point (at least 5, 000 units or more), the entire population size is

almost irrelevant, and a sample size of 400 should be adequate.

The larger the population, the smaller the percentage, but not the number and one needs to

get a representative sample. The larger the sample, the smaller the amount of sampling

error to be expected. However, a larger sample does not guarantee good results if it is not

representative (Leedy and Orrnrod 2005:207). This study falls within the recommended

sample size of 400. A sample frame refers to a list of population elements from which a

sample can be drawn. In order to come up with a manageable sample size in this study, thc

sample size for students was calculated at 1.3% across the board for all the institutions

under study. The library and academic staff were purposively hand-picked. The samplc size

and sample frame for the students, academic and library staff is presented in Table 2 below

and Table 3 on the next page.

Table 2: Sample size for students.

Institution Population Sample size. %

University of Zululand 8, 706 113 1.3

Durban University of Technology 21,316 277 1.3

Mzuzu University 1,400 18 1.3

51

Table 3: Sample size for Library and academic and staff.

Institution Personnel targeted

University ofZululand 1 Lecturer-Library and Infonnation Science

Department

1 Senior Librarian

Durban University of Technology 1 Subject Librarian

(M.L Sultan Campus)

Mzuzu University I Lecturer - Library and Infonnation Science

Department

1 Senior Librarian

3.5 Research instruments

Research instruments are tools that are used to collect data for a research project. Both

qualitative and quantitative studies largely use the same research instruments for data

collection. Examples of data collection techniques include, questionnaires, interviews

observations and so on (Force 1997:143).

3.5.1 Questionnaire

A questionnaire consists of a set of questions for submission to a number of persons or

respondents in order to gather data (Onyango, 2002:65). Questionnaires are generally

categorised as open-ended or unstructured questionnaires and c1osed-ended or structured

questionnaires (Onyango, 2002:65 and Babbie, 2005:254). In the case of c1osed-ended or

structured questionnaires, the respondent is asked to select an answer from among a list

provided by the researcher. Closed-ended questions are very popular in survey research

because they provide a greater uniformity of responses and are more easily processed than

open-ended ones (Babbie, 2005 :254).

In open-ended or unstructured questionnaires. the respondent is asked to provide his or her

own answer to the question (Babbie: 2005:254). Open-ended or unstructured questionnaires

are designed to permit free responses from participants rather than ones limited to specific

alternatives. It provides for a great depth of response. The respondents reveal their frame of

52

reference and possible reasons for their responses (Onyango (2002: 65). However, the main

drawback of open-ended or unstructured questionnaires according to Onyango (2002:65) is

that, because it requires greater effort on the part of the respondents, returns are often

meager, particularly if self-administered. This is because open-ended questions tend to

discourage responses, as they typically take longer to answer. In addition, there is no limit

to possible responses to an open-ended questionnaire. This makes answers more difficult to

categorise and analyse than those of closed-ended or structured questionnaires. This

sometimes makes the open-ended item difficult to interpret, tabulate and summarise in the

research report. It is for this reason that a single questionnaire should contain both open­

ended and closed-ended questions. In practice, a combination of structured and

unstructured question is most efficient (Onyango 2002:65-66).

3.5.2 The Interview

The other most utilised data collection method in qualitative research studies 'IS the

interview. An interview is the process whereby the researcher interviews the target

population either by phoning or in a face to face situation. Questions are asked and

recorded by the researcher rather than the respondent (Force, 1997:43). In addition, an

interview involves direct personal contact with the participant who is asked to answer

questions relating to the research problem. One method of getting people to express their

views is the non-scheduled interview, which consists of asking respondents to comment on

broadly defined issues. The interviewees are free to expand on the topic as they see fit, to

focus on particular aspects, to relate their own experiences, and so on (Bless and Higson­

Smith, 2000:104-105). An interview also allows for possibilities of seeking the same

infonnation in several ways at various stages of the interview, hence checking the

truthfulness of the responses. The interviewer will intervene to ask for clarification or

further explanation, but not to give directives or to confront the interviewee with probing

questions (Onyango, 2005:84). Usually no time limit is fixed for completing an interview

of this kind (Bless and Higson-Smith, 2000: I04-1 05). Interviews are structured when the

questions to be asked have been listed in what is called an interview schedule. The

interviewer will adhere strictly to the questions listed in the schedule. The questions are

presented to each respondent in exactly the same way to minimise the role and influence of

53

the interviewer and to enable a more objective companson of the results (Onyango,

2005:84-85 and Bless and Higson-Smith, 2000: 105).

3.5.3 Observation.

Observation provides a rich source of hypotheses about behaviour and so it can be a first

step in discovering why people behave the way they do. Observation can be categorised

mainly into participant and non-participant observation. In participant observation,

observers play a dual role, they observe people's behaviour and they participate actively

III the situation they are observing (Bless and Higson-Smith, 2000: 103-1 04,

Shaughnessy, Zechmeister and Zechmeister, 2006:111-114 and Onyango, 2002:92). In

undisguised participant behaviour, individuals who are being observed know that the

observer is present for collecting information about their behaviour. In disguised

participant observation, those who are being observed do not know that they are being

observed. People do not always behave in the way they ordinarily would when they know

their behaviour is being recorded. People' behaviour is likely to be affected by knowing

that they are being watched (Shaughnessy, Zechmeister and Zechmeister, 2006: III and

Onyango, 2002:92). It is because of this possibility that researchers hide the real purpose of

their presence by themselves becoming participants. They join the community or group

under investigation as one of its members, sharing in all activities. People that are being

observed do not know that they are being observed. Becoming an insider allows a deeper

insight into the research problem, since the researcher enjoys the confidence of participants

and shares their experiences without disturbing their behaviour (Bless and Higson-Smith.

2000:104).

Non-participant observation. according to Bless and Higson-Smith. (2000: I03), is the

recoding of events as observed by an outsider. A distinction can be made between obtrusive

non-participant observation and unobtrusive non-participant observation. In obtrusive non­

participant observation, the participant is undisguised as she or he is very visible. but does

not directly participate. For example. a researcher can observe the social behaviour of

people interacting in shops. bars. by recording the number of times people who do not

know each other exchange words. the topic and length of conversation. the way the

54

interaction starts and ends, and so on (Onyango, 2002:92). On the other hand, in

unobtrusive non-participant observation, the researcher is completely disguised. For

instance, a researcher may decide to gather data on vandalism of library materials by

collecting all the books that have been torn in the library or damaged in one way or

another.

There are number of issues to consider alongside a decision to use observation technique.

One of these is whether the participant observers should make their purpose known to

members of the group being observed. One school of thought feels that concealing the

intentions of the participant observers raises ethical questions of an invasion of privacy and

established a false, hypocritical, interpersonal relationship with the individuals in the

group. The other school of thought is of the view that in some cases, informing those to be

observed of the complete purpose of the study may affect behaviours as to make the study

meaningless (Onyango, 2002:92).

This study used questionnaires, interviews and observations to gather data. Questionnaires

were used because they give respondents time and freedom to independently respond to

issues. The questionnaires contained both open and closed ended questions in order to cater

for both qualitative and quantitative techniques. Questionnaires were divided into the

following six sections:

Section one

The section sought to solicit information on demographic data of the respondents such as

institutional affiliation, level of study and gender.

Section two

The section sought to elicit information on embedment of information literacy into the

curricular of the universities under study.

Section three

The section sought to elicit information on modes of teaching and learning of information

literacy.

55

Section four

The section sought to elicit infonnation on problems being faced in the teaching and

learning of infonnation literacy.

Section five

The section sought to elicit suggestions on the most effective learning and application of

infonnation literacy module and

Section six

Finally, the section sought to elicit infonnation on students' ability to independently

identif'y, locate, retrieve and use infonnation.

The researcher physically self-administered the questionnaires to students.

Students' behaviours were also observed over a period of one week, in their respective

libraries on how they search, locate, identify and retrieve infonnation. In order to do so, an

observation schedule was prepared to record their behaviours. Each participant was

observed for a period of one (1) day. The purpose was to establish what was taking place in

the libraries and particular emphasis was paid to systematic noting and recording of events

and behaviour of students in searching, locating, identifying and retrieving infonnation in

the library. Attention was also paid to time the students took from searching to retrieving

infonnation. In order for the participants not to know that they were being observed, in case

they changed their behaviour, the researcher applied participant observation in which

students' behaviours were observed and the researcher participated actively in situations

that were being observed. The researcher also intended to enjoy the confidence of

participants and shares their experiences without disturbing their behaviour.

In order to collect in-depth infonnation about the teaching of infonnation literacy,

interviews were conducted face to face with librarians and lectures who teach infonnation

literacy. This was accomplished through the use of interview schedules for academic staff

and librarians. The interview schedule for academic staff was divided into six sections as

follows:

56

Section one

Section one sought to elicit demographic data of the interviewees.

Section two

The section sought to elicit information on the embedment of information literacy into the

curricula of the universities under study; if so who was responsible for the design and

formulation of the information literacy syllabus and how the syllabus was designed.

Section three

The section sought to elicit information on responsibility for the teaching of information

literacy such as what topics were covered in teaching information literacy, the mode of

teaching used and to whom the course or module of information literacy was taught, and

soon.

Section four

The section sought to ascertain the existence of collaboration between library staff and the

department responsible for teaching information literacy and if there any collaboration

between them and the roles and responsibilities of the teaching department and the library

staff.

Section fIVe

The section sought to find out the problems faced in the delivery of information literacy; if

there were any problems, what problems were being faced and suggestions to the

mentioned problems.

Section Six

Lastly, section six sought suggestions from faculty staff on the most effective method for

teaching information literacy to the students.

57

Similarly, the interview schedule for library staff was divided into six sections.

Section one

The section sought demographic data of the interviewees such as institutional affiliation,

and the rank.

Section two

Section two sought to establish responsibility for the teaching of library orientation

programme/information literacy, topics covered in teaching library orientation programme!

information literacy and the modes of teaching used.

Section three

The section sought to ascertain the existence of collaboration between library staff and the

department responsible for teaching of library orientation programme or information

literacy. The section also sought to establish the roles and responsibilities of the teaching

department and the library staff.

Section four

Section four sought to find out the problems faced in the teaching of library orientation

programme or information literacy and suggestions to the mentioned problems.

Section five

Lastly, section the sought suggestions from library staff on the most effective method for

teaching library orientation programme or information literacy to the students.

See the appendix for the questionnaire and interview schedules used.

3.6 Data collection procedures

Permission to conduct the study at the selected institutions was sought and granted. Legal

and ethical issues pertaining to this study were also adhered to. The researcher drew up a

list of academic staff. librarians, and students and physically distributed and collected

58

questionnaires from them. Interviews were conducted face to face with Librarians and

Lecturers responsible for teaching information literacy.

3.7 Pilot Study

In order to test the reliability of the research instruments, a pilot study was carried out at

the University of Zululand. Problems encountered included students not understanding the

meaning of information literacy, because initially, the definition of the term information

literacy was not provided in the questionnaire, and most students indicated taking a module

in information literacy at the University of Zululand. This brought about problems of the

validity. An adjustment was made in which a brief definition of the term information

literacy was inserted in section 2.

The other problem was that some questions such as ability to independently identify,

locate, retrieve and use information were not clear and the question was misunderstood by

the students, leading to the results being skewed. An adjustment was made so as to specify

the type of information such as books, databases, encyclopedia, journals, newspapers and

handbooks and directories.

An interview schedule for library staff was also problematic in that an assumption was

made that all libraries teach information literacy, which was for a course or module.

Questions such as "responsibility for the teaching of information literacy" had to be

changed to read, "responsibility for teaching library orientation programme or information

literacy" so as to cater for some libraries that do not formally teach information literacy.

Similarly, all questions that had an information literacy component had to be adjusted to

library orientation programme or information literacy.

After the necessary adjustments were made to the instruments, a final survey commenced.

59

3.8 Data Analysis

Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), a computer ­

aided software. The results were represented quantitatively using tables, graphs, Pie charts

and percentages.

3.9 Problems encountered

Problems encountered included difficulty In collecting preliminary information on the

number of registered students at the Durban University of Technology; the late release of

the research funds which affected the time frame of the research and the slow response to a

request for permission to conduct the study at the Durban University of Technology.

3.10 Summary

This chapter has presented the methodology and the methods that were used in carrying out

the study, the sample and sampling used research instruments that were used in gathering

data, data analysis and problems encountered. It is hoped that the problems encountered

would offer as a learning experience, so that whoever wishes to replicate the research,

could avoid going through similar problems.

Data Presentation and analysis will be presented in chapter four.

Bibliography

Appendices

60

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS

4.1 Introduction

The chapter presents results collected from three sets of data namely questionnaires,

observations with students and interviews with academic an6 library staff from the

University of Zululand (Unizul), the Durban University of Technology (DUT) and Mzuzu

University (Mzuni). The chapter provides perspectives and an insight into the research

findings by collating results from the three sets of data and analysing them critically

through comparison. The analysis of results is made within the framework of the research

aim, which was to investigate the teaching and learning of information literacy in some

selected institutions of higher learning in KwaZulu-Natal and Malawi. The study's targeted

students and their responses are tabulated below:

Table 4: Target population and their responses. (N= 287).

Institution Students Students

Itargeted Responded

I University of Zululand 113 89

Durban University of Technology 277 180I

I Mzuzu University 18 18

0/0

79

65

100

The response rates could have been better, had it not been that students were busy with

their end of term or semester tests and examinations. Four (4) students from each of the

universities studied were observed to determine how they go about searching, locating,

identifYing, and retrieving information sources from the library.

One (I) lecturer responsible for teaching Information Literacy and one (I) library staff

member responsible for library orientation programme were interviewed at Unizul. At

DUT. one (I) library staff member responsible for teaching information literacy in the

library was interviewed. At Mzuni, one (I) lecturer responsible for teaching Information

Literacy was interviewed and also (I) library staff member responsible for the library

61

orientation programme were interviewed.

4.2 Students' Analysis

Section 1: Personal Information

The section sought to determine personal information of the respondents such as

institutional affiliation and faculty that the respondents belonged to, level of study and

gender of the respondents.

4.2.1 Institutional affiliation, Faculty and level of study of Respondents.

The results presented in Table 5 below and Table 6 on the next page show the variations of

responses from the sampled faculties and level of study among students at Unizul, DUT

and Mzuni. Students were asked to state their institution and faculty and responded as

illustrated in the sections that follow.

Table 5: Responses per institutional affiliation and faculty. (N=287)

o2850oo

llnizul DUT Mzuni

Faculty Frequency "le Frequency "le f'requency

Arts 23 26 42 23 0

Science and Agriculture 22 25 0 0 0,Education 20 22 0 0 4

Commerce, Law and

Ii

I II Administration \

,24 27 0 I 0 i 0

iI Accountmg and

lnformatics

Engineering. Science

and the Built

I Environment 0 0 42iIHealth Sciences I 0 0 46

I Information Science and Ii communications I 0 0 0

I En...ironmental Sciences 0 0 0

I Hospitality and Tourism,I Management 0 0 0

\ Total 89 100 ISO

23

26

oo

o100

o3

4

4

3

18

The results shown in Table 5 on the previous page reveal that at the UnizuI. there were

eighty nine (89) respondents, at DUT, there were one hundred and eighty (180)

respondents, and at Mzuni. there were eighteen (18) respondents.

62

Findings of the level ofstudy at the Unizul, OUT and Mzuni are illustrated in Table 6.

Table 6 : Level of Study. (N= 287)

Doizul Dut Mzuni

Level of Study Frequency 0/0 Frequency '10 Frequency

Under-graduate 69 78 140 78 17

Post-graduate 20 22 40 22 I

Total 89 100 180 100 18

An assessment of the level of study among the sampled students from the three Universities

yielded the following results: There were 226 undergraduate respondents of which, 69

(78%) respondents belonged to Unizul, 140 (78%) of the respondents belonged to OUT and

17 respondents belonged to Mzuni.

There were sixty one (61) post-graduate students, of which 20 (22%) belonged to Unizul,

40 (22% belonged to OUT, and only I respondent belonged to Mzuni.

4.2.2 Gender oftbe respondents.

The results from the analyses of gender are illustrated in Table 7 on the next page

63

Table 7: Gender ofthe respondents bv institution and facultv. (N= 287)

Gender

Unizul DUT Mzuni

Male Female Male Female Male Female

Faculty Frc % Frc % Frc % Fro % Fro Frc

Arts 10 11 13 15 12 7 30 17 0 0

Science and Agriculture 9 10 13 15 0 0 0 0 0 0

Education 9 10 11 12 0 0 0 0 2 2

Commerce, Law and

Administration 8 9 16 18 0 0 0 0 0 0

Accounting and IInfonnatics 0 0 0 0 22 12 28 16

I0 0

Engineering, ScienceI I I I

I

and the BuiltI I I

III

II

Environment 0 0 0 0 I 31 17 11 6 If 0 0I I

Health Sciences I 19 10 27 15 ! I 2I

lnfonnation Science andI

I

i

II

Icommunications , 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 , 2 2I

I

Emrironmental Sciences 0 0 0 0 0 I 0 0 0 I 2 i 2I I I

Hospitality and Tourism I

II I I

I II I IManagement 0 0 0 I 0I

0 0 0 I 0 I 2 I! ,I , II I

Total 361 40 i 53 I 60!

84 I 46 % 54 8 I 10, I ,

An analysis of the gender in Table 7, shows that the majority of the respondents were

female who accounted for 159 (55%) of the 287 respondents, with the Unizul accounting

for 53 (19"10), OUT 96 (33%) and Mzuni 10. The male respondents at the three institutions

accounted for 128 (45%) out of the total 287 respondents, with Unizul accounting for 36

(13%), DUT 84 (29%), and Mzuni 8 .

4.3. Section 2: Offer and teaching of Information Literacy.

The objective of this section was to determine the students' awareness of the availability of

the course or module in information literacy. attendance of information literacy classes.

title and code of the of the course or module, department responsible for information

literacy module or course. topics covered in the course or module of Information Literacy.

64

satisfaction with the content being offered in information literacy module or course, areas

that need to be removed and for added from and to the module or course, and relevance of

the Course or module of Information Literacy. The findings are presented in the next

sections.

4.3.1 Awareness ofthe availability oftbe course or module in information literacy.

The results of institutions that offer a course or module in infolmation literacy and their

responses are presented in Table 8.

65

• A = Aware, NA= Not aware, DNK= Do no! Know

Sl:iCIlCCS

I~dllcllljnn

I':llvirnnllll:nlal

Tolal

.::..~.,::,:___ n. ___ n ______J ___ n _______ :-_ .' __ • ______ n ___ ----.---- --- -- ----~.- -_.-.---- ---_. -- • +. -_.Ilnizul nUT Mzuni

_.

A NA nnK A NA DnK A NA DnK-----

li' % F % I;' % .,' % F % F % F F F--------_.-

12 13 0 () 11 12 () 0 12 7 3() 17 () 0 ()

'7. - .. - ------- --------- --,.•.._-- --8 0 0 15 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

I I 6 7 13 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2--._-----

0 0 2 2 22 25 0 () 0 0 0 0 0 0 0---- ------- -"---_.

() 0 () 0 0 0 3 2 14 8 33 18 0 0 0.._.,,-,.. ......_----- •...__.- -----

0 0 () 0 0 0 I I 8 4 33 18 0 0 0

-0 ----;:- ----0 0 () 0 0 0 0 18 10 28 16 0 0 3

.._- ------ .._-

0 () 0 0 0 0 () () 0 0 0 () 4 0 0-_._--- -------- --- ------ --~--~ -------_.- --_._- ---

0 () 0 () () () () 0 () () () 0 I 2 I-- --_._. -. __._.-- -_._-_..-

-~--

() () 0 () 0 0 () () 0 0 0 0 0 0 3---- ---- ~-- --_.- ._-_._--2(} 22 8 9 61 69 4 2 52 29 124 69 7 2 9--~ ~~----- ------~--~..

Science

I~nvirnllmclll

lUld cOllllllunications

'i"""llyArts

InJimnatioll

Ilcallh Sciences

Science and Agriculture

----------------.'_.

I':ngincering, Science

and the Built

Accounting lUul

Inlilrlllillics

COllllllcn:c, Law nnd

Administration

..... _~, ..._-_._-,..Ilospitality IUld

'j'llllfisrn MawlgclTlcnl

Table 8: Awareness-'---~-~'~-~--"---~--'---------~

66

Responses to an awareness of the availability of the course or module of infonnation

literacy in the three institutions as illustrated in Table 8 on the previous page, shows that,

the majority of the respondents, 194 (68%) out of the 287 respondents indicated that they

did not know about the availability of the course or module of Infonnation literacy, with

respondents from Unizul accounting for 61 (21%), OUT 124 (43%) and Mzuni accounting

for 9 respondents. This is because most respondents do not take the module or course of

infonnation literacy.

There were 31 (11 %) out of the 287 respondents from the three institutions that indicated

that they were aware of the availability of the course or module of infonnation Literacy, of

these, the Unizul accounted for 20 (22%) respondents, OUT accounted for 4 (3%)

respondents and Mzuni accounted for 7 respondents.

4.3.2 Attendance oftbe course or module in Information Literacy.

The question sought to find out whether students from the three Universities attend a

formal course or module in Infonnation Literacy or not. Results are illustrated in Table 9

on the next page.

67

Tahle 9: Attendance of a formal course or module in Information Literacy. (N= 287)

UnizlIl OUT MZllni

Ye. No Ye. No Ve. No

F1lcuUy Frc °AI Frc % Fre % Fre % Fre Fre--------_.._--,._---,,---Arts 10 11 13 15 0 0 42 23 0 0-~~---_._ ..__._,_.._---------_._-------1--. 4

Science and Agriculture 5 18 20 0 0 0 0 0 0------'----'-_.•._._- -l~dllcutiDn 0 0 20 22 0 0 0 0 0 4

-.-- ._._----_._..._-----_._._~-- -- --_.- ------Commerce and Administration 0 0 24 27 0 0 0 0 0 0- -- - - ----- ------- - --- --------Accounting and Informatics 0 0 0 0 2 I 48 27 0 0

--- - ------- -------Engineering, Science and the Built

-~~~~:;~-~~~~~~~_._. _..__ .• _-_ ..__ ._-----~---~~~ :~0

I0

I0

I42

I23

I0

I~0 0 0 46 26 0-,""-"""-" ..... __ ., ,.- _.,",...- ._-_...._------------Informution Science and

comlllunications 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2" _... _._ .._- -_..._-----"..__._--------_. -,---,- -----

l<:nvironmcntal Sciences 0 () 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4

Ilospitality ullcf;I--;ourisrn Management-- -------------

0 0 0 () 0 0 0 0 0 3

Totlll 14 16 75 84 2 I 178 99 2 16--

68

Responses on the attendance of a formal course/module in Infonnation Literacy by students

at the three institutions presented in Table 9 above, shows that the majority, 269 (94%) out

of the 287 respondents indicated that they did not attend a formal course or module in

information literacy. Of these, 75 (84%) respondents were from Unizul, 178 (99%)

respondents were from OUT and 16 (89%) respondents were from Mzuni.

Only 18 (28%) out of 287 respondents from the three institutions indicated attending a

fonnal course or module in infonnation literacy, of these, 14 (16%) respondents were from

Unizul,2 ( 1%) respondents were from OUT and 2 ( 11%) respondents were from Mzuni.

4.3.3. Title and code of the course or module

An analysis of the title and code of the course or module by the students at the three

institutions yielded results summarised in Table 10 below.

Table 10 : Title and code of the course or module. (N= 287)

Title and code of the Unizul DUT !\1zunicourse! module

Response No Response No Response Response ! NoResponse

I

Response

I I ,

rI ,, i I

, Fre % iFre I % Fre % I Fre % Fre ! Fr. !Information Literacy/

I 14 Ir

IAlILoo! AIILOl 16 75 84 0•

0 0 0 0,

0Information Retrieval II i

r

, I0 0 0 r 0 2 I I 178 99 I 0 0

Information Literacy!

I I,

I,

iILIS 1204 0 0 0 0 0 0

,0 0 2 16I

Respondents that had indicated taking a formal course or module of Infonnation Literacy

when asked to state the Title and Code of the course or module, responded as follows; 14

(16%) respondents from the Unizul, indicated the title as Infonnation Literacy and the code

as AIILOOI AIILOI, 2 (1%) respondents from OUT cited the name of the course as

Information Retrieval 11, but they did not give the code of the course and the 2 respondents

from Mzuni, indicated the title as Infonnation Literacy and the code as LIS 1204.

69

4.3.4 Department responsible for information literacy course or module.

When asked to state the Departments responsible for teaching formal Information Literacy

Course or Module, 14 (16%) respondents from the Unizul, 2 (1%) respondents from DUT,

and 2 respondents from the Mzuni all indicated the Departments of Library and

Information Science as being responsible for teaching the formal course or module of

Information Literacy.

4.3.5 Topics covered in the course or module of Information Literacy.

The topic coverage in the course or module of Information Literacy is considered by this

study a prerequisite for enhancing the students' ability to demonstrate and appreciate

theories and applications ofthe course or module in the information industry. Respondents

that ascribed to attending the course or module of Information Literacy responded as

follows:

Unizul

The 14 (16%) respondents from the Unizul cited the following topics:

• Mastering information skills;

• Information sources;

• Search engines, searching and retrieval tools;

• Databases;

• Referencing and citations,;

• Copyright;

• Note taking and communication and

• Information handling skills.

Mzuni

The 2 respondents from Mzuni cited the following topics:

• Identifying the need for information;

• Selecting the most appropriate information systems;

• Acquiring pertinent information;

• Evaluating and information manipulating information in usable form, and

• Communicating information.

70

DUT

The 2 (11%) respondents from DUT cited the following topics:

• Searching and retrieval;

• Basic searching;

• Searching strategies;

• Search engines and

• Databases

4.3.6 Satisfaction with the content being offered in information literacy.

An assessment of the satisfaction with the content being offered in information literacy is

presented in Table 11.

Table 11: Satisfaction with the content being offered in information literacy. (N= 287)

Satisfied Not satisfied No response

Institution Frequency % Frequency '1'. Frequenq: '1'.

Unizul 11 12 3 3 75 84

DUT 0 0 0 0 180,

100 iI i

Mzuni 2 0 0 I 0 16t

0 II

The results presented in Table I I above, show that 13 (4%) out of the 287 respondents

from the three institutions indicated being satisfied with the content being offered, out of

these, 11 (12%) respondents were from Unizul and 2 respondents were from Mzuni.

Respondents that indicated not being satisfied with the content being offered cited the

content as being old as the main reason. Respondents from the DUT did not indicate any

reason.

The 271 (94%) non- responses in the three institutions can be attributed to the fact that

most students do not take the course of Information Literacy (Refer to Table 9).

4.3.7 Areas or content that need to be removed and lor added.

The respondents from the University of Zululand that indicated not being satisfied with the

content of information literacy being offered responded to this question as follows:

71

• That more practical sessions on library use such as searching for journals, accessing

online-databases should be offered and

• That the historical component should be removed to pave way for modem topics in

information literacy such web learning.

4.3.8 Relevance of the Course or module of Information Literacy.

The objective of the question was to seek respondents' views on the relevance of a course

or module of Information Literacy in institutions of higher learning. The responses are

presented in Figure I below.

Relevance of Information Literacy in Institutions of bigberlearning

200178

150

10075

5014

o

2

(10/0)2

(I I 'Yo)16

Unizul Out

El Relevance of IL • No response

MZllni

Figure 1: Relevance of information literacy course or module in institutions of

higher learning. (N=287)

Results in Figure I above show that 18 (6%) out of the 287 respondents from the three

institutions indicated that it was relevant to have the course/module of information literacy.

The respondents indicated attending a Module or Course in Information Literacy. Of these

14 (16%) respondents were from Unizul, 2 (1%) respondents were from OUT and 2

respondents were from Mzuni. The 269 (94%) non-responses are because of respondents

that did not indicate taking the Module or Course of Information Literacy.

72

4.4 Section 3: Mode ofteaching information literacy.

This section intended to fmd out the mode of teaching infonnation literacy classes.

4.4.1 Mode ofteaching the information literacy classes.

An assessment of the modes of teaching the infonnation literacy classes yielded responses

illustrated in Figure 2 below.

Mode of teaching information literacy200·

180

160

140

120

100

80

60

40

7 220(8%) (1%)

2

011%)

6(7%

'"",.'-"

I

(1%)

El Unizul • Dut 0 Mmni

Lectw-es by Lecturers Lectures by lecturers

and learning guides

Web classes No response

Figure 2: Mode of teaching information literacy classes. N= (287)

Results in Figure 2 above show that II (4%) out of the 287 respondents from the three

institutions indicated that the mode of teaching information literacy classes was mostly

through lectures by lecturers, and there were 6 (7%) respondents who indicated a

combination of lectures by lecturers and learning guides and I (1%) respondent indicated

web classes. The 269 (94%) non-responses are due to the fact that the respondents do not

take the module or course of Information Literacy.

4.4.2 Learning modes offered by the module or course.

The objective sought to ascertain the learning modes offered by the information literacy

course or module. The findings are presented in Figure 3 on the next page.

73

Learning modes offered by the module

No response

Theoretical modes only

Theoretical andPractical modes

o 50 100

Ell Unizul • Dut • Mzuni

150 200

Figure 3: Learning modes offered by the module or course. N= (287)

Results presented in Figure 3 above, are those ascribed to respondents that had indicated

taking a formal Module or Course in Information Literacy. There were II (4%) out of 287

respondents that indicated that the learning mode is offered by both theoretical and

practical, of these 9 (10%) respondents were from Unizul and 2 (1%) respondents were

from DUT. There were 7 (2%) respondents that indicated the learning mode being offered

by theoretical mode only, of these 5 (6%) respondents were from Unizul and 2 respondents

were from Mzuni.

The 269 (94%) non-responses indicate that the respondents did not take the formal Module

or Course of Information Literacy.

4.4.3 Learning modes favoured by the students.

The objective of the question was to find out the learning modes favoured by the students.

From the qualitative results, respondents that ascribed to attending a course or module in

information literacy answered as follows:

Vnizul

• Eleven (13%) respondents favoured both theoretical and practical modes;

• Two ( 2%) respondents favoured practical modes only and

74

• One (1%) respondent favoured group work and discussions.

Mzuni

• Two respondents from Mzuni indicated that they favoured both theoretical and

practical modes of learning.

The 2 respondents from DUT did not indicate the learning modes that they favoured.

4.5 Problems faced in learning and application of information literacy.

The question solicited data on problems that students faced in learning and application of

the course or module of Information Literacy. There were 6 (6%) out of 89 respondents

from the Uniznl that responded to the question a follows:

• One (1 %) respondent cited a lack of adequate practicals being offered, hence

making it difficult for students to be competent in the full utilisation of the library;

• One (I %) respondent indicated that the class was overcrowded with students from

other departments (Communication Science and Agriculture Science) and could not

grasp what was being taught. One (I %) respondent was of the view that lack of

fluency in English language contributed to her failing, and

• Three (3%) respondents viewed the duration of eight (8) weeks as being too short,

yet lot of content was churned out, making it difficult for students to master the

content within such a short period of time.

At Mzuni 2 out of 18 respondents responded to this question as follows:

• The shortage of computers, led to a limited access to computers and lack of

practicals.

The 2 respondents from nUT did not indicate the difficulties that they faced in the

learning and application of the course of "Information Literacy" (Information retrieval).

75

4.6 Suggestion of solutions to problems.

Suggestions offered by the respondents include the following:

Unizul

• More practical classes than theory should be offered;

• Smaller manageable classes of twenty five to thirty students should be offered;

• Either the duration of the course/module should be extended beyond eight (8)

weeks or the content should be reduced;

• Some tutors should be sought to help out the lecturer and

• Communicating in English should be made mandatory.

Mzuni

Suggestions offered by the respondents include the following:

• More computers should be purchased by the University and

• Students should frequently be sent to the ICT Laboratories and the library for

practicals.

4.7 Students' perception of their ability to independently identify, locate, retrieve and

use information sources.

The objective of the question was to: firstly establish whether the students have the abilities

to independently identify, locate, retrieve and use information sources such as books,

databases, encyclopedias, handbooks and directories, journals and newspapers; secondly, to

ascertain students' ability to independently identify and locate collections in the Library by

using the Open Access Public Catalogue (OPAC), Indexing and Abstracting journals;

thirdly, to find out access points used in the retrieval of information, fourthly, to establish

purposes for the use of information, fifthly to find out students' use of citations and

references in academic works and sixthly to ascertain how respondents learnt about citing

and referencing and problems faced by respondents that do not know how to write citations

and references.

There are two related concepts in information literacy, which are, one; searching and two;

locating information. Information literacy equips one to develop the two abilities before

76

enhancing other aspects like information retrieval and use. The respondents are split

according to those that had received formal Information Literacy training in class in the

form of a Module or Course and those that had not received formal Information Literacy

training from class, but had received Information Literacy training in the Library. The

respondents were asked to indicate whether they were able to independently identifY locate,

retrieve and use information sources such as books, databases, encyclopedias, handbooks

and directories, journals and newspapers. An investigation i"to students' abilities to

independently identifY, locate, retrieve and use information is presented in Table 12.

Bks = Books,

Db s= Database,s

En c= Encyclopedias,

Hbk& Dir = handbooks and Directories,

Ident= Identify,

Info sour = Information source,

Jour = Journals,

Loc= Locate,

Nips =Newspapers,

Non Res= Non Response,

Ret= Retrieve

77

Tllble 12: Student.' perception or their IIbility to independently identify, locllte, retrieve and u.e information .ouree•. (N= 287)

lJnizul--_.

With forrnullnforlnntion I,itcrucy truinin~ (N-14) Without formal Information I.iteracy training /With library training/other~~~-~--~-~ modules Of councs (N=75l

fofo suur Ident Non Loe Non Ret Non llse Non Ident Non Loc Non Ret Non Use Non.{cs Re. Res Re' Res Res Rc. Re.

-- ~---F I·' F .' F F F F F I·' F F F F F 11

.._------~-Ilk. 14 0 14 0 14 0 14 0 8 67 8 67 8 67 8 67

13~- ._--- -- ~--,-------- ------ _ .._._----- --~-

Nip. I 13 1 13 I 13 I 10 65 15 60 15 60 15 60--------- c---~~--~-t-----,--------Ilb. 4 It 4 It 4 It 4 I I 3 72 3 72 3 72 3 72

.. --,-~ ...._,._----_._- -_.__._--- ~-,-----

.Jour 8 t, 8 6 8 6 8 6 3 72 3 72 3 72 3 72----------

Ene 4 III 4 III 4 III 4 10 0 75 0 75 0 75 0 75-~--~-~---

IIhk & 3 It 3 It 3 It 3 It 0 75 0 75 0 75 0 75Dire -- -- ----- ------- --------- ---- -- ---

• __,._ •.______,.,,___~ .·'..... _._..__0-

IlIlT-----------_.

With formallnforma'inn Literacy training (N-2) Without formal Informtltion Literacyl With library training/othermodules or courses (N=187)

-_._-------------~-- -

Info !lour Idenl Non I,or Non Rct Non IIse Non Ident Non Loc Nun Ret Non Use NonIll'S Res Res Ilcs Res Re' Re' Rcs

... ----_.-.-._---- ---~_.--- c--~Ii Ji li Ii li Ji 11 F li 11 11 I~' F 11 F------------_.- . ---_..~-_ ..~ ---- -2-- -0- -i-

Ilk' 2 0 0 2 0 131 5(. 131 56 131 56 131 56~,,-~---~-----~-~- - -~--~._._--"--- ----_. ------- --_._--

Nil" 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 138 49 138 49 138 49 138 49-~------~.._----""."_.._.. ---~ ~--- ----- ----Ilh' 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 40 147 40 147 4 183 40 183

_. __. -------- --~--_..- ----

,lour 2 11 2 0 2 11 2 11 46 141 46 141 46 141 46 141-- --"" . __...- -- ---- ----~-~

--"_ .....__..- -- ------------

I':nc 11 2 11 2 0 2 0 2 211 167 20 167 20 167 20 167-----------~ --_.._--- ._------- -~--""-

_.....__._-". --0-- -2--- 0IIhk & 11 2 0 2 2 10 177 10 177 10 177 10 177___m_~·!__~___ '_ __ ..._..-,,---- ---~~~.- ------'--- -----'-----~~----

..-- ,,---_.._._.----.----~~_. ---_ ..._._""_._--------_.._"-- ......__.__.._--_._...~--

78

----~--~

Tublc 12: Studcuts' pcrception of their ability to independcntly idcntify, locate, retrieve and use information sources. (N 287)

__ - __________ • _____• __________OO"__~_o__••_____~__

MzuniWith formallnfnrmation Literacy training (N-2) Without formal Information Literacy training / With library

-------------- --rc----- --:-,------- traininelother modules or courses (N=16)Infu "UUf Ident Non 1,0£ Non Rc. Non lI"c Non Ident Non Loc Non ReI Non Use Non

Res I{es Res Rcs Res Rc. Res Re.

11 I1 11' 11 JI 11 11' JI I1 11- JI JI 11- 11- JI JI---------------~----IIks 2 11 2 11 2 11 2 11 6 tll 6 III 6 III 6 III

-_.__-_-'0_0_'___- ",••

N/ps 2 11 2 11 2 0 2 0 4 12 4 12 4 12 4 12-,"-------- - ---:---

llhs 1 1 1 1 1 I I I 2 14 2 14 2 14 2 14••_o~____~o,. _____

15 1 15 1 15.Iour 2 11 2 11 2 11 2 0 I 15 1-,------

16 0 16 0 16Enc 2 11 2 11 2 11 2 11 11 16 11~-----_.- ----- 11 --Ilhk & 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 16 11 16 11 16 11 16

I>irc----~-- --------------

79

Results presented in Table 12 on the previous pages, regarding respondents that had

received formal Information Literacy training from the module! course of information

Literacy, show that 18 out of 287 respondents, from the three institutions had the

perception that they had abilities to independently identify, locate, retrieve and use books,

17 respondents had the perception that they had abilities to independently identify, locate,

retrieve and use newspapers, 5 respondents had the perception that that they had abilities to

independently identitY, locate, retrieve and use databases, 12 respondents had the

perception that that they had abilities to independently identify, locate, retrieve and use

journals, 6 respondents had the perception that that they had abilities to independently

identify, locate, retrieve and use encyclopedias and 3 respondents had the perception that

they had abilities to independently identitY, locate, retrieve and use handbooks and

directories.

Pertaining to the 269 respondents that had not received formal information literacy training

in class, but had received information literacy training elsewhere such as in the Library

during the library orientation, or from other courses such as communication skills/studies

or computer literacy, the responses are as follows:

Out of the 269 respondents, 145 had the perception that they had abilities to independently

identify, locate, retrieve and use books, 152 respondents had the perception that they had

abilities to independently identify, locate, retrieve and use newspapers, 45 respondents had

the perception that they had abilities to independently identify, locate, retrieve and use

databases, 50 respondents had the perception that they had abilities to independently

identify, locate, retrieve and use journals, 20 respondents had the perception that that they

had abilities to independently identitY, locate, retrieve and use encyclopedias and 10

respondents had the perception that they had abilities to independently identify, locate,

retrieve and use handbooks and directories.

The above results show that most respondents had mostly an ability to independently

identify, locate, retrieve and use newspapers and books. The information source that the

80

respondents had the perception that they had least ability to independently identifY, locate,

retrieve and use were handbooks and directories.

4.7.1 Students' perception of their ability to independently identify and locate

collections in the Library by using the Open Access Public Catalogue (OPAC),

Indexing and Abstracting journals.

The use of retrieval tools such as the OPAe help users to search, identifY, locate and

retrieve information. An abstract journal provides a guide to the content of periodicals and

other information sources, it enables users to identifY, locate and retrieve information. An

index is an alphabetical list of names, places and subjects that a user could use for

identifYing, locating and retrieving information.

Results are presented in Table 13 on the next page.

Inst= institution, OP= OPAC, Ind= index and AJ= Abstract journals

81

Tllhle 13: Students' perception of their llhility to independently identify and locate services in the Uhrary by using the OllAC, indexing and abstracting journals.

(N~287)

-'-~--'---'_.

(Jnizul--_...._._.-...._..- -----

With forrnullnformution I.iteracy training (N-14) Without formal Information l.iterucy trainingl with library training/other modules or

--_._----_.. .._~..._. cou..... (N~751Tonl Ident Non Loc Non Cam Non Can Non Ident Non Loc Non Can Non Can Non

Itcs R•• Not R•• Not Re. Rc. Rc. Not Rc. Not Re.Ideot Lne Ident Loc

I! I~' I' 11 I' .' 11 11 I' 11 I! 11 I' 11 I' I'----------- _.~---_91_'____1.4_ __l!_.. _~ 14 11 11 14 11 14 8 67 8 67 27 48 27 48._I'!'L_~ __ ~I_II____1._ III 4 4 III 4 111 4 71 4 71 42 33 42 33A.I 7 7 6 8 7 7 8 6 3 72 3 72 511 25 50 25----- ----------- ..-".--

-- ---_._------ ----~._-_.

-, .•_.,._--_.,- --- '"~-,_. ------, OllTWith formal Information J.iterncy 'raining (N=2) Without formal Information J.iteracy training I with librury training/other modules

,-.,--' . - -,- . -_.- ---- --_._- ~

or course. tN=187\Tool Ident Non Loe Non Can Nun Can Nun Ident Non Lne Non Can Non Can Non

Rcs R•• Not I{c. Not Res Re. Re. Not R•• Not Re.

----- ._"._- ------ _.-- Ident I.oe Id.nt LocI! 1I I,' I! I,' I! I' I,' I' .' 11 11 I' F F F

...~~- I----.~-

131 20 167 20 16701' 2 11 2 11 11 2 11 2 131 56 56..... ....... .::~ .. -- .. - ... .. - ... -····· ..~~----·~ ..-~--c- ----

11 187 11 187.Iul!_._. ._JL..-____L _ _.._11 2 ~_. 2 I) 2 HIli 87 11111 87AJ 0 2 0 2 0 2 11 2 40 147 40 147 0 187 0 187_.. ___ ~._____.. ___._.___..____ L _ _=__ _.__ '--"_~...~.____

- -- -- ---_....._..-_._-_.. _--..~_ ..~~---_._---~-_._-_._._--_ ..._._---Mzuni

--~._-~-"---------.Without formnllnformation l-iteraey trainingl with lihrary training/otherWilh fornlal InforPlalion Litel'acy traininr=: (N·-2) modules

---------- ~~~ .._.~.... ~._.- ... ~...-- --_.~-_......_.__.~----~~ .......~-- -~or COIU1iCS tN=1 (~\

foul hh~nt Nun Loe Non Can Non Can Non Ident Non Loc Non Can Non Can NonItcs Rc~ Not Itcs Not Rcs Rc. Rc. Not Re. Not Re.

_,_l'.t~!._ 1.0(' Ident Loc------~-----~- -~~--- ~--_._---_.• ----" .._....._.- --,--~-- .. _.•_...._-

I, I,' F JI 1' F F 11 F F 11 F F .' F 11--~ -------- ----" -------- --~~- -~--- ._---1---

6 0 16 11 1601' 2 11 2 11 11 2 11 2 6 10 10-- -~- ...~- ...--~~~.~- ._------~ -~-~.__ .

5 11 11 5 11 5In~L_.". o 2 0 0 2 0 2 5 11-~-_. __._-_. --_..._-_......- .._-- ...--- ._--~._._--

A.I 2 0 2 11 11 2 0 2 3 14 J 14 13 4 13 3.. . . . _ .. _ ._~._ _ __. ____~___L...._

82

Results presented in Table 13 on the previous page, show that of the respondents that had

received formal information literacy training, 18 out of the 287 respondents had the

perception that they had abilities to independently identifY and locate collections in the

library by using the OPAC, 12 respondents had the perception that they had abilities to

independently identifY and locate collections in the library by using indexing journals,

while 4 respondents had perceptions that they could not identifY and locate collections in

the library by using indexing journals and 9 respondents had the perception that they had

abilities to independently identifY and locate collections in the library by using abstracting

journals and respondents indicated that they could not independently identifY and locate

collections in the library by using abstracting journals.

While respondents that had not received information literacy training, out of the 269

respondents, 145 respondents had the perception that they had abilities to independently

identifY and locate collections in the library by using the OPAC, 47 respondents had the

perception that they could not identifY and locate collections in the library by using the

OPAe. There were 109 respondents had the perception that they had abilities to

independently identifY and locate collections in the library by using the indexing journals,

53 respondents had the perception that they could not independently identifY and locate

collections in the library by using the indexing journals.

Concerning the use of abstracting journals, 46 respondents had the perception that they had

abilities to independently identifY and locate collections in the library by using abstracting

journals, and 63 respondents had the perception that they could not independently identify

and locate collections in the library by using abstracting journals.

The non responses could probably indicate that the respondents do not use the OPAe,

indexing and abstracting journals. They instead go straight to the shelves to retrieve the

materials that they need with the help of their friends.

83

4.7.2 Access points used in the retrieval of information

Access points are important for providing an avenue for users to search, identify, locate and

retrieve information. As such it is important that users of information services should be

equipped with the skills for searching information using the different access points. The

respondents are split according to those that had received formal Information Literacy

training in class in the form of a Module or Course and those that had not received formal

Information Literacy training from class, but had received Information Literacy training in

the Library. An assessment of students' access points used in the retrieval of information is

presented in Table 14 on the next page..

84

Table 14: Access points used in the retrieval of information (N=287).

_..._".__._.""- _~ UnizulWith formal Information Literacy training (N-14) Without formallnforrnation Literacy trainingl with library

training:! other modules or counes (N=75)

---~-'----- . Non RCSDURSC Non resonnseAccclIs (JOintslJ!Jcd .<' .' F FAll of them 5 9 0 75Author Hnd 5 9 0 75

".JJ~~___________.~!!!!!!~!____.___~ 4 10 0 75

Title 0 14 6 69- - - - ---------- ------~------~--------~-~---_!i-uJlj~fL__________"_ 11 14 2 73______~~" DlIT

With formal Information Literacy training (N-2) Without formal Information Literacy training! with librarytraining/other modules or courses (N=187)

---- ---------------- Non RCSDURIC Non ResponseAccess pointslI'ed ... F F F--~-----

__~H_(~ft~_':_m,,_ --- -- -- - - ----------~-~----- -- 11 ------- 43 144Authorand 11 2 42 145

_JJ!!~_A!tl!10~__,...____~___ 11 2 26 161~l'illc 0 2 11 187

_.S-!!!!.i!:£L.. 11 2 11 187--~~"

MzuniWith fnrmallnformation Literacy training (N-2) Without formal Information Literacy trainingl with library

training! other modules or courseS' (N=16),,_...- .... --- ~_._-----~-_. Non RC!inonsc Non ResnonseAcre~s pointsIJ~ed - _._----_.- _______... _.....___.____J~_.___~~.,~ F F F.._...-All n!them 2 11 2 14Author and U 2 2 14Title----~--~----I--

2 0 16Author 0- ------_.~-_.._..• _."'..._...._.-2 _____~__ 14Title 0 f-_~~___~2___

--------- --------- ---- -----------,--16_1'1!!'iecL___________ 0 2 0

85

Results presented in table 14 on the previous page, show that, the mostly used access points

in the retrieval of information are, all the access points (author, title, and subject). Nine

respondents that had received formal information literacy training indicated using all the

access points, while 45 respondents that had not received formal information literacy

training, but had received training in the library also indicated using all access points. The

least used access points in the retrieval of information is the subject, with only 2

respondents who had not received formal information literacy training ascribing to their

use.

The above results indicate that students were able and comfortable with accessmg

information sources by using all the access points (i.e. author, title and subject).

For non responses, this could be attributed to the fact that may be the students, use the

library less for searching for information and more for reading and preparing for the

examinations only, and that they acquire their information needs from the internet.

4.7.3 Purposes for the use of information.

Information is used for various purposes, namely decision making, entertainment, general

information, leaming and problem solving. Respondents were asked to indicate the various

purposes that they use information for. Options were given for them to choose from, hence

the various combinations presented in Table 15 on the next page.

86

Table 15 : Purposes for the use of information. (N~287)

Uoizul DUT Mzuni

Purposes for the use of information F", % Fn "I. F",

General information, Learning and

Problem solving 4 5 46 26 0

Learning 20 23 35 19 8

General information and Learning 17 19 34 19 3

Learning and Problem Solving IQ 11 27 15 5

All of them 11 12 13 8 2

Decision making, General infonnatio~

Leaming, Problem Solving IQ 11 11 6 0

Decision making, Learning, problem

solving IQ 11 8 4 0

Entertainment,. General Information,

Learning, Problem Solving 7 8 6 3 0

Results in Table 15 above, show that out of 89 respondents from the Unizul, 20 (23%)

respondents indicated using information for learning purposes and 4 (5%) respondents

indicated using information for general information, learning and problem solving

purposes.

Whereas at the OUT, 46 (26%) respondents indicated USIng information for general

information, learning and problem solving purposes, and 6 (3%) respondents indicated

using information for entertainment, general information, learning, and problem solving

purposes.

At Mzuni, 8 out of 18 respondents indicated using information for learning purposes and 2

respondents indicated using information for all purposes (i.e. decision making, problem

solving, learning, general information and entertainment).

4.7.4 Use of citations and references in academic works.

A citation is a written reference to a specific information source, which are included in a

list of sources cited. It is imperative, therefore, for students to be knowledgeable about the

use of citation and references to avoid plagiarism. Students' response to this question

yielded the results presented in Tables 16 on the next page.

87

Table 16: Use of citations and references in academic works. (N= 287)

With information literacy trainiD~ Without Information Literacy traininglwitb library

training/other modules or courses

Use citations and Do Dot use citations Use CitatiODS and references Do Dot use citatioll!l and

references and references references

Unizul DUT Mzuoi UoUzuI DUT Mzuoi Unizul DUT Mzuni Unizul DUT Mzuoi

F 'lI. F .;" F F % F % F F % F % F F 'lI. F 'lI. F

14 I. 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 25 26 91 50 10 52 58 87 49 6

The use of citations and references in academic works by the respondents at the three

institutions under study as presented in Table 16 above, reveals that for respondents who

had received formal information literacy training, 18 (6%) respondents indicated that they

use citations and references in academic works, while for respondents who had not

received formal information literacy training, 124 (43%) respondents indicated that they

use citations and references in academic works and 145 (51%) respondents indicated that

that they do not use citation and references in their academic works.

4.7.4.1 How respondents learnt about citing and referencing and problems faced by

respondents that do not know how to write citations and references.

The objective of the question was to find out how respondents learnt about citing and

referencing, for those that did not know how to cite and make reference, the question

sought to find out what the problem was.

4.7.4.2 How respondents learnt about citing and referencing

Respondents from the three institutions that indicated that they used citations and

references in their academic works and when asked to state how they learnt about citing

and referencing, they responded as follows:

Ununl

At Unizul, there were 37 (42%) out of 89 respondents that had indicated that they used

citations and references in their academic works:

• Fourteen (16%) respondents learnt the use of citations and references from the

course/module of information literacy;

88

• Twelve (14%) respondents learnt the use of citations and references from their

lecturers at their previous universities at undergraduate level;

• Five (6%) learnt the use of citations and references at undergraduate level from

their lecturer in the module ofEconomic Methodology and Research;

• Three (3%) learnt from their lecturer in the module of Social Work research

methodoloy and

• Three (3%) respondents indicated that they learnt the use of citations and references

in their academic works from their lecturer in the Module of Educational Research

Methodology.

nUT

There were 93 (52%) of the 180 respondents that had indicated that they use citations

and references in their academic works:

• Sixty five (36%) respondents indicated that they learnt from the library during the

orientation programme in which information literacy is taught;

• Nighteen (10%) respondents indicated that they learnt from the course of

Communication Skills in English department;

• Seven (4%) respondents indicated that they learnt from their respective lecturers

and

• Two (1%) respondents learnt from the course ofInformation Retrieval II

Mzuni

There were 12 out of 18 respondents that had indicated that they use citations and

references in their academic work:

• Eight indicated that they learnt in the courses of Communication skills and

• Four respondents indicated that they learnt in the courses of Communication studies

and Information literacy.

89

4.7.4.3 Problems faced by respondents that do not know how to write citations and

references.

Unizul

Fifty two respondents from Unizul indicated that they did not use citations and references

in their academic works, and when asked to state the problems they faced they responded

as follows:

• Twenty (22%) respondents indicated that they did not write assignments in their

module that required the use of citations and references;

• Seventeen (19%) respondents indicated that they have never attended a module that

teaches about the use of citations and references, neither have their lecturers taught

them;

• Fifteen (17%) respondents indicated that they have never bothered to learn about

the use of citation and references;

DUT

There were 87 (48%) of the 180 respondents that indicated that they do not use citations

and references in their academic works and they responded as follows:

• Thirty three (19%) respondents indicated that they have never bothered to learn

about the use of citations and references in their academic works;

• Twenty six (14%) respondents indicated that their lecturers have never bothered to

send them to the library to learn about the use of citation and references in their

academic works ;

• Seventeen (9"10) respondents indicated that they have never been taught by their

lecturers and

• Eleven (6%) respondents indicated that their courses do not require the use of

citation and references

Mzuui

At Mzuni 6 out of 18 respondents that had indicated that they do not use citations and

references in their academic works responded as follows:

• Four respondents indicated that they have never bothered to learn the use of

citations and references in their academic works and

90

• Two respondents indicated that their courses do not require the use of citations and

references.

4.8 Observations

Observations were carried out at the same time that questionnaires were being administered

to students in the libraries at the Unizul, DUT and Mzuni. Students were targeted when

they were using the Open Access Public Catalogues (OPAC), searching for information

resources. Students from each University under study were observed in their respective

libraries on how they search, locate, identify and retrieve information. At Unizul, four (4)

students from each of the four Faculties, Arts, Commerce, Law and Administration,

Education and Science and Agriculture were observed, similarly at the DUT four (4)

students from each of the four Faculties of Accounting and Informatics, Arts, Engineering,

Science and the Built Environment and Health Sciences were observed and at Mzuni, only

(2) two students from the Faculties of Health and Medical Sciences and the Faculty of

Environmental Sciences were observed. Each student was observed for a period of one day.

4.8.1 Participants with Information Literacy Training

UnizuI

4.8.1.1 Participant One.

Participant one was a student from the Faculty of Arts who was taking a course/module of

Information Literacy. The main retrieval tools that the student was observed on using were

the Open Access Public Catalogue (OPAC) and Indexes. Observations revealed that the

participant was comfortable in searching for information sources using the (OPAC) by

using different access point such as author and title. The participant did not face any

problems in identifying the information material, in this case the books, on the shelf. The

draw back was that the I-link was slow and this took a lot of time between the time the

search terms were punched in, to the time the results were displayed. The slowness could

be attributed to the fault inherent in the performance of the Library's computer system and

instability of the power supply. This in turn prolonged the whole process of searching,

identifying and retrieving information. It took four (4) hours from the time the search query

was made to the time results were displayed. The participant was conversant with the

91

location of the books and was able to go to the shelfand locate the books though, the books

identified were not on the shelf.

4.8.1.2 Participant Two.

The second participant was a Post-graduate student, from the Faculty of Science and

Agriculture, who was searching for some journals. The participant was comfortable in

using the (OPAC) without asking for any assistance, in searching for journals to meet his

research objectives. The problem experienced by the participant was the speed of the

system, which was slow. It took a long time, two (2) hours from the time the search terms

were punched in, to the time the results were displayed. In addition, the participant was

able to use the title of journals as access points, marked the retrieval term, i.e. the class

mark. The participant was able to use the journal abstract and an index showing where find

to the journal and went to the journal section to locate the journals being sought and

retrieved them from the shelf. The participant had once taken a Module in Information

Literacy at Undergraduate level and had attended some Library Orientation programme in

the Library.

4.8.1.3 Participant Three

The third participant was a student from the Faculty of Commerce, Law and

Administration. The participant was searching for books. The participant used subject and

author as search phrases. However, the subject terms that the participant used seemed not

to have yielded the desired results and this prompted the participant to use title. The

participant marked the class marks and went to the shelf to locate and retrieve the books,

but none of the books sought were on the shelf. The participant however, showed

knowledge and familiarity with the whole process of searching and retrieving books. It

took half a day between the time the search terms were typed in, to the time the participant

went to the shelf to retrieve the book.

The fact that the students coped well with searching of information using the OPAC is

proof of the fact that the students had either had some training III Library orientation

programme or had attended some information Literacy training.

92

4.8.2 Participant without Information Literacy Training

4.8.2.1 Participant Four

The fourth and fmal participant was from the Faculty of Education, who was searching for

some books. It took almost the whole day with the user searching for the books using

several retrieval terms. The user did not know how to go about searching for the

information and was asking her friends for help. The participant relied on her friends on

how to go about using the OPAC as she had no training in Information Literacy. The fact

that the student struggled with her searches, shows that the student had never attended

neither the Library orientation programme nor some information Literacy training.

4.8.3 Participants with Information Literacy Training

DUT

4.8.3.1 Participant Five

Participant Five was a student from the Faculty of Accounting and Informatics at the OUT

and was searching for books and newspapers in the Library. The participant seemed

familiar and comfortable with the use of OPAC as she was able to type in the search terms

using a combination of author and title for books and was able to retrieve the books from

the shelf For newspapers, the participant did not have to search on the OPAC as the

newspapers are clearly displayed 0 the tables where she had to sit and read. It did no take a

long time for the participant to search and retrieve the books as the I-link was faster than

the one at the Unizul. She took thirty minutes from the time she started searching up to the

time that she had retrieved the books.

4.8.3.2 Participant 6

The participant was a Post-graduate student from the faculty of Engineering, Science and

the Built Environment, who was searching for some data bases. Firstly, the participant had

to click on the name of the database sought. The participant had to type in the logging

details, i.e. the user name and password in order to gain access to the database. Having

gained access to the database, the participant typed in the search terms i.e. the title of the

article, which was displayed on the screen database, when the result was displayed on the

screen, the participant, searched the title and author of the article. When the article

93

appeared on the screen, the participant read from the screen since the software does not

allow for copying of the articles. The participant took at the utmost 20 minutes from

searching to retrieving the article.

4.8.3.3 Participant 7

The participant was from the Faculty of Health Sciences and was observed searching for

information from an encyclopedia. The participant typed in the name of the encyclopedia

that was being sought, and the name and shelf number where the encyclopedia could be

located was displayed on the screen. The participant was able to locate the encyclopedia on

the shelf and retrieve it. It took the observer only 15 minutes from the time the searching

started to the time the participant retrieved the material from the shelf.

4.8.3.4 Participant 8

The last participant was from the Faculty of Arts, who was observed on the searching of

books. In searching for books using the OPAC, the participant typed in the search terms

using a combination of author/title/ subject and was able to get the class mark and the shelf

on which the book was located. The participant was able to follow the shelf guide to locate

the book on the shelf and retrieve it. The participant seemed familiar with the system and it

took her 20 minutes from the time the search started up to the time she retrieved the books.

All four participants from the OUT showed that they had abilities to independently search,

identifY and retrieve the relevant information materials. This can be an indication that the

students had probably undergone some training by attending the information literacy course

run by the library.

4.8.4 Participant with Information Literacy Training

Mzuni

Only two students were observed at Mzuni, because most of the students were busy

preparing for their end of the semester examinations.

94

4.8.4.1 Participant 9

The participant was a student in the Faculty of Information Science and Communications

and was being observed while searching for text books. The participant was able to type in

the search term title/author for the text books that were sought. The details of the books

appeared of the screen, the participant, took note of the details and went to the shelf to

retrieve the texts. Unfortunately, the texts that were being sought were not found in the

Library. It took thirty minutes between the start of the search up to the time the participant

went to retrieve the materials from the book shelf. However, the participant showed that

she had an ability to independently search, identify and retrieve the relevant information

materials. This means that the student had probably undergone some training in

information literacy.

4.8.5 Participant without Information Literacy Training

4.8.5.1 Participant 10

The participant, who was in the company of fellow students, belonged to the Faculty of

Environmental Sciences, and was searching for books to complete her research tasks. The

participant seemed not comfortable in using the OPAC as she took the whole day searching

using different search terms and soliciting the assistance of library assistants. The

participant showed that she did not have the ability to independently search, identify and

retrieve the relevant information materials, as she had probably not attained any

information literacy training.

Results from the observations show that the offering of a compulsory information literacy

training/module/course equips students with the ability to independently search, identify

and retrieve the relevant information materials.

Responses for academic and library staff are arranged as follows: Respondent A is an ex­

lecturer from the Unizul and respondent B is an Assistant Lecturer from Mzuni.

Respondent C is a Senior Librarian from the Unizul library, respondent D is a Senior

Librarian at the DUT library, and respondent E is a Periodicals librarian from the Mzuni.

The results are presented in the sections that follow.

95

4. 9 Academic staff

4.9.1. Section 1: Personal information.

The main purpose of the section was to solicit demographic data of the respondents such as

their institutional affiliations, faculties and departments that the respondents belong to and

the ranks of the respondents.

Respondent A belongs to the Unizul and she is an ex- lecturer in the Department of

Library and Information Science, in the Faculty of Arts, but left the Department and

Faculty at the beginning of the year (2007). Respondent B is an Assistant lecturer in the

Department of Library and Information Science, Faculty of Information Science and

Communications at Mzuni.

4.9.2 Section 2: Offer and teaching of information literacy.

The section set to find out whether the module or course of Information Literacy is offered

and taught, which department is responsible for the formulation of the Information Literacy

syllabus, how the syllabus on Information Literacy is designed and whether it is reviewed

and if so how often it is reviewed.

Respondent A indicated that an Information Literacy is offered and taught as a module by

the Department of Library and Information Science. It was also indicated that the lecturer

responsible for teaching Information Literacy was responsible for designing and

formulation of the information literacy syllabus in consultation with the Head of

Department of Library and Information Science. The Syllabus of Information Literacy at

Unizul until recently has been based on the one offered at the University of Cape Town,

which had been running the programme for a long time. The respondent indicated that the

module of Information Literacy is reviewed periodically, though a periodic timeline does

not exist. The reviewing of the syllabus is at the discretion of the lecturer concerned in

consultation with the Head of the Department.

Respondent B indicated that Information Literacy is offered and taught as a course by the

Department of Library and Information Science. The respondent indicated that Lecturers in

96

the Department of Library and information Science and Librarians are responsible for the

design and formulation of the Information Literacy curriculum and that the Curriculum

developed through the Curriculum development workshop and is reviewed annually.

4.9.3. Section 3: Responsibility for the teaching of information literacy.

The purpose of the section was to establish the topics covered in teaching information

literacy, modes used in teaching information literacy and to whom the course of

information literacy is offered or taught. The section also sought to determine whether the

module adequately equip students with the skills for writing assignments, doing research

and independently identifying, locating and retrieving information. In addition, the section

sought to ascertain whether the module instills in students the ability to correctly write

citations and references and if not what problems are experienced. It also sought to

determine how many lecturers are involved in teaching information literacy.

Respondent A indicated that topics covered in the teaching of information literacy include

three broad areas, with their sub-topics namely:

1. Information Handling Skills

• Introduction and background of information literacy;

• Information tasks and plans;

• Planning the information task;

• Retrieving information for the task and

• Organising information to complete tasks;

2. Locating information

• Finding information;

• Reference sources,

• Bibliographies, indexing and abstractjoumals,

• Electronic information sources and

• Citations and

3. Expository writing

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• knowing your audience and purpose;

• Reading for writing;

• thinking for writing;

• the writing process and

• Completing your writing tasks.

The modes of delivery as cited by the respondent were mainly lectures, group discussions

and practicals in the computer laboratory where students were required to go and access

Internet sources. The course of Information Literacy is taught to students in the

Departments of Library and Information Science, Communication Science and Agriculture

Science. No reason was given as to why the course was taught to only these students in

these departments and not the whole campus. The respondent indicated that due to time

constraints, the module partly equipped students with the skills for writing assignments,

doing research and other information related tasks. She felt that the duration (3 months)

was not adequate to teach students and impart the skills within such a short period of time.

The respondent was of the opinion that, lecturers in the Departments of Library and

Information Science, Communications Science and Agriculture Science need to familiarise

themselves with the information literacy content, so that they could reinforce what was

being taught in the Information Literacy module, such as correctly writing citations and

references. There is a lack of coordination among the lecturers from the various

departments to reinforce what is being taught to students taking Information Literacy. The

respondent indicated that, as such the module could not instill in students the ability to

correctly write citations and references. It was indicated that there is only one lecturer

involved in the teaching ofInformation Literacy.

Respondent B indicated that topics covered ID the teaching of Information Literacy

included the following:

• Identifying the need for information;

• Selecting the most appropriate information system;

• Acquiring pertinent information;

• Evaluating information obtained;

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• Manipulating information in usable form and

• Communicating information.

The course of Information Literacy is taught to first year Library and Information Science

Students only, because the department lacks the capacity to teach the course to all students

at the University. The respondent indicated that the course of Information Literacy partially

equipped students with the skills for writing assignments, doing research and other

information related tasks because most students do not have computer skills. The

respondent indicated that the course of Information Literacy does adequately equip students

with the skills to independently identify, locate and retrieve information and that the course

does instill in students the ability to correctly write citations and references. Only one (I)

lecturer is involved in teaching information literacy.

4.9.4. Section 4: Existence of collaboration between library staff and the Department

of Library and Information Science responsible in teaching information literacy.

The section sought to fmd out if there is any collaboration between the library staff and the

Department of Library and Information Science in the teaching of information literacy to

students of Library and Information Science, Communication Science and Agriculture

Science, and if so, what roles and responsibilities are played by the teaching department

and the library staff.

Respondent A was of the view that formal collaboration does not exist. The lecturer

concerned would request librarians at personal level to assist the students with the

happenings in the library. In addition, the lecturer teaching Information Literacy did not

know the content librarians taught to the students and vice versa.

The respondent categorised the roles and responsibilities played by the teaching department

as designing the syllabus in information literacy, teaching the theoretical part, whereas the

roles and responsibilities of the library staff are practical, because they are the custodians

of the information resources and that this would also avoid overlaps in the teaching of

Information Literacy.

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Respondent B indicated that there was no collaboration between the library staff and the

Department of Library and Infonnation Science in teaching infonnation literacy to students

of Library and Infonnation Science. The respondent indicated that the roles and

responsibilities of library staff in the teaching of Infonnation Literacy were to impart

practical skills to students on how to search, locate and retrieve infonnation sources. On the

other hand, the respondent mentioned the roles and responsibilities of the Department of

Library and Information Science in the teaching of InfonnatlOn Literacy to students of

Library and Infonnation Science as teaching the theoretical part, giving students exercises,

assignments, tests and exams.

4.9.5. Section 5: Problems faced in the delivery of Information Literacy Module or

Conrse.

The purpose of the section was to establish the problems that staff faces in the delivery of

Infonnation Literacy and to seek solutions to the problems identified.

Respondent A highlighted some problems faced In the delivery of the Infonnation

Literacy module:

• Time factor - the duration of 3 months was seen as not being adequate to treat each

area in-depth, as a lot of content had to be taught in a very short period of time. This

necessitated student to do self study;

• Lack of computer literacy - The lack of computer literacy by the lecturer made

teaching difficult, since the module of Infonnation Literacy needed computer skills.

This made the lecturer to depend on students that were computer literate for

teaching computer oriented topics. In addition, the majority of students had not seen

and used a computer before. This made teaching by the lecturer even more difficult.

• Many students absconded from practicals in the computer laboratory, because the

computer laboratory was booked most of the time;

• Learning by using the Internet and accessing Internet resources needed students

having money in their Internet accounts. This proved di fficult considering the

students' social and economic backgrounds, and

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• Lack of coordination among the lecturers to reinforce what the students had been

taught.

Responded A proposed the following solutions:

• Reverting to the semester system addresses the time factor problem;

• Lecturers teaching computer oriented modules such as Information Literacy should

be computer literate;

• The university management should buy more computers and build more computer

laboratories, since most modules are computer oriented. This would ease the

congestion off the available computer laboratories and it would make the students

to easily access the computers in the laboratories for their practicals;

• A mechanism should be devised whereby students accessing the Internet for

practical purposes should not be required to have funds in their accounts and

• An understanding should be made among Library and Information Science,

Communications Science and Agriculture Science lecturers to familiarise

themselves with the information literacy content so that they could reinforce the

skills taught to the students.

Respondent B indicated that staff in the department of Library and Information Science

responsible for teaching Information Literacy faced some problems which are outlined as

follows:

• Inadequate computers for students' practicals;

• Lack oftime, to use the ICT laboratory;

• Erratic network connections, due to power disruptions and

• Lack of computer skills by the students.

Some suggested solutions to the above outlined problems are as follows:

• The University management should purchase more computers;

• A proper timetable should be allocated for the use of the lCT laboratory to students

in the Department of Library and Information Science students, as the laboratory is

dominated by students in the Department of ICT.

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• The University management should come up with a reliable network as the current

one in use frequently breaks down and that

• The University should establish a policy to make it mandatory for all first year

students to enroll for computer lessons.

4.9.6. Section 6: Snggestions from faculty staff on the most effective method for

teaching information literacy.

The section sought to elicit suggestions from the faculty staff on the most effective method

for teaching information literacy.

Respondent A suggested that the most effective method for teaching Information Literacy

was in a computer laboratory setting, where there are computers. Since most students are

not computer literate, it was felt that such an arrangement would quickly make the students

to become computer literate. The module of information literacy is computer oriented. As

such it needs a lecturer who is computer literate.

Respondent B suggested that the most effective method of teaching Library Orientation

Programme or Information Literacy was through practicals such as in the Computer

Laboratory setting where students would have hands-on, in searching for information using

computers.

4.10 Library staff

4.10.1 Personal Information

The main purpose of the section was to solicit demographic data of the respondents such as

institutional affiliation, that the respondents belongs to and the rank of the respondent.

Respondent C is a Senior Librarian at the Unizul library while respondent D is a Senior

Librarian at the OUT Library and respondent E is a Periodicals Librarian at Mzuni.

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4.10.2. Section 2: Responsibility for the Teaching of the Library Orientation

Programme or Information Literacy.

The purpose of this section was to establish the teaching of the Library Orientation

Programme or Information Literacy by the library staff, topics that are taught in the Library

Orientation Programme information literacy, mode of teaching the Library Orientation

Programme or Information Literacy and to whom are the Library Orientation Programme

or Information Literacy taught. In addition, the section also sought to find out if the

teaching of Library Orientation Programme or Information Literacy adequately equips

students with the skills to independently identify, locate and retrieve information.

Respondent C indicated that senior library staff teach Library Orientation Programme or

Information Literacy. The teaching is done during the library orientation programme,

which is usually mandatory at the University of Zululand and it is an on-going exercise for

first year and new students.

Some topics taught during the Library Orientation Programme or Information Literacy

include:

• An overview ofcollections, services and facilities;

• Library rules and policies;

• Information retrieval skills;

• The use of the Open Access Public Catalogue and other retrieval tools, and

• Online databases.

It was indicated that both practical and theoretical modes are used in teaching Library

Orientation Programme or Information Literacy. Students are taken to the Electronic Class

(Library lab) in the library, where Library staffs run theoretical classes. After completing

the theory part, the students are taken for a library tour where they are taken to various

sections of the library such as the central circulation, inter-library, reference, journal,

Audio-visual and the short loan. The students are also taken to the Open Access Public

Catalogue (OPAC) to have hands-on experience in the use of the OPAe.

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The teaching of the Library Orientation Programme or Information Literacy was designed

to introduce the new students to the library and its layout, the staff, the collections, the

service and how to use the library to locate information. For senior students or post­

graduates, special training sessions are also organised for searching and retrieval of online

databases.

The respondent indicated that students that attend the teaching of the Library Orientation

Programme or Information Literacy are equipped with skills to independently identify,

locate and retrieve information, to the extent that that they also can assist fellow students.

Respondent D indicated that semor library staffs do teach Information Literacy. The

teaching is done during the library orientation programme to first year students at the

University.

Some topics taught in Information Literacy include:

Unit 1

• Nature and need of information:

o What is information;

o Need of information;

o Different sources of information.

Unit 2

• Dewey Decimal Classification:

o Need to know how information is arranged in the library.

Unit 3

• I-Link-OPAC

o Basic search;

o Advanced search.

Unit 4

• Printed sources of Information.

o Books, Encyclopedias, theses e.t.c and

o An in-depth print sources e.g. title page, index and so on.

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UnitS

• E- resources

o All electronic databases subscribed to by the University.

Unit 6

• How to locate infonnation using different retrieval tools.

Unit 7

• Evaluation of infonnation resources.

Unit 8

• Plagiarism and referencing.

Both practical and theoretical modes are used in teaching Library Orientation Programme

or Infonnation Literacy. Basic background about a topic, assignments and exercises such as

retrieving infonnation from the I-Link, are given to the students.

The teaching of Infonnation Literacy in the Library depends on the group of classes.

Students are interviewed first to find out the level they are at. For instance, first years are

taught Unit 1, nature and need of infonnation, second year students are taught Units 2,

Dewey Decimal Classification, Unit 3, I-Link and Unit 4 Printed sources of infonnation.

Students from third years upwards are taught Unit 5, is E-resources, Unit 6, which is how

to locate infonnation using different retrieval tools, Unit 7, evaluation of infonnation

resources and Unit 8 plagiarism and referencing. Post-graduate students are taught

advanced searches in Electronic databases.

The respondent indicated that students that attend the teaching of infonnation literacy are

equipped with the skills to independently identify, locate and retrieve infonnation. Pilot

students are monitored in the completion of their tasks. When students are given an

assignment by their lecturers, they are supposed to search for information in the library and

the library staffs monitor the students up to the time they complete their assignments.

Library staff marks the referencing part to find out whether the students have grasped the

topic on referencing and use of citations.

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Respondent E indicated that the Library teaches library orientation programme to first

level and new students in the University. Both theoretical and practical modes such as the

use of the Internet and OPAC are used in the teaching of library orientation programme.

Some topics covered in the teaching oflibrary orientation programme include:

• Searching and retrieval tools;

• Use of the Internet and the OPAC;

• Classification and arrangement of information sources in the Library and

• Citing and referencing of academic works.

The respondent indicated that the library orientation programme partly equips students with

the skills to independently identifY, locate and retrieve information because the time

allocated for the teaching is not adequate.

4.10.3. Section 3: Existence of collaboration between library staff and the Department

of Library and information Science.

Collaboration in this case entails cooperation that exists between any two departments in

teaching ofthe Library Orientation Programme or Information Literacy. The section sought

to ascertain the existence of collaboration in the teaching of the Library Orientation

ProgrammelInformation Literacy between library staff and the Department of Library and

Information Science, to determine if there are any problems faced in the collaboration

between library staff and the Department of Library and Information Science and to

establish the roles and responsibilities of the library staff and the Department of Library

and Information Science.

Respondent C indicated that collaboration between the library staff and the Department of

Library and Information Science exists, though not formal, in the form of some lecturers

sending students to the library for hands-on practicals such as searching and retrieval of

databases, use ofthe indexes and the Open Access Public Catalogue. The problem faced by

library staff in collaborative teaching of the Library Orientation Programme or Information

Literacy as cited by the respondent is that Library staff are not notified well in advance by

the lecturers that they are sending the students for practical lessons in the Library. This

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means, the Library staffs do not prepare the topics adequately for teaching the students

when ever they are sent to the Library by the lecturers.

The respondent further indicated that the roles and responsibilities of the teaching

department are those of faciIitators of learning, helping students, with the assistance of

librarians, to evaluate information. Whereas, the roles and responsibilities of the library

staff are to participate in, and strengthen information literacy prograrnmess, teaching

students research strategies that require active engagement, foster problem solving, and

emphasise critical evaluation of information. The emphasis is on enabling students to

become independent researchers and thereby encouraging lifelong learning.

Respondent D indicated that the Library collaborates with all Departments in the teaching

of Information Literacy. Some departments also collaborate by giving up their lecture

periods so that they can send the students to the library to learn about searching,

identifying, locating, retrieving of information. In addition, students are sent to the library

to also learn about citation and referencing. The only time that the Department of Library

and Information Studies assist the library staff is when the department delegate students to

the library to help out during the library orientation. The major problem faced in the

collaboration of teaching Information Literacy with other departments is when some

lecturers refuse to send students to the Library.

The respondent indicated that the roles played by the teaching Departments should be those

of teaching students their specific areas of specialisation, reinforcing what the students

have learnt in Information Literacy, such as the use of citations and references and co­

operating when it comes to releasing students for the learning of Information Literacy. The

roles of Library staff are to empower students with skills to searching and retrieving

information, teach students referencing and produce a reference guide book which students

can buy for five Rand.

Respondent E indicated that the only form of collaboration that the Library is involved in,

is with the Department of Library and Information Science, when students are sent to the

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library to have hands-on in the use of the OPAC and to familiarise themselves with

collections in the library. It was indicated that the library does not face any problems with

such collaboration. The respondent indicated that the roles played by the teaching

department are those of teaching students and reinforcing what has been taught, whereas

the roles and responsibilities of library staff are to teach and impart skills to students on

how to search for information, citations and referencing.

4.10.4. Section 4: Problems faced in teaching Library Orientation

Programme or Information Literacy.

The section intended to find out whether library staffs face any problems in the teaching of

Library Orientation Programme or Information Literacy to students and to seek solutions to

the problems being faced.

Respondent C indicated that senior librarians involved in teaching Library Orientation

Programme or Information Literacy do encounter some problems. Some problems faced

were cited as follows:

• Lack of a formal agreement between the library staff and the Department of Library

and information Science for the collaborative teaching of Library Orientation

Programme or Information Literacy;

• The lack of a structured programme, which makes most students not to take the

orientation programme in the library seriously. As a case in point, it was mentioned

that an advertisement was placed about training in the use of the databases for

senior students, for which only 1 - 3 would turn up.

• One training session per week per student is seen as being inadequate, because a lot

has to be covered within a short period of time;

• Students lack hands-on, in the use of computers because they have never had access

to computers where they are coming from. Since searching and retrieval of

information in the library entails using computers, students have to be taught how to

operate the computer first. This again takes up a lot of time instead of going straight

to teaching Library Orientation Programme or Information Literacy.

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In order to solve the problems mentioned in the previous paragraph, the respondent made

the following suggestions:

• The library and the Department of Library and Information Science should come up

with a formal agreement for collaborative teaching of Library Orientation

Programme or Information Literacy;

• The library and the Department of Library and Information Science should come up

with, and agree on a well structured programme for teaching Library Orientation

Programme or Information Literacy in which subject librarians would be invited to

class and teach about the resources available in the library and an assessment of

students should be done at the end of the teaching or training sessions and marks or

grades awarded should count towards their end of the term or semester continuous

assessments;

• Training sessions for students should be increased from one session in a week to

two or three.

• More computers need to be bought by the university management and computer

laboratories built to enable students using the computer for the first time to learn

and practice before the commencement of lectures.

Respondent D indicated that senior librarians involved in teaching Library Orientation

Programme or Information Literacy do encounter some problems. The problems faced

were cited as follows:

• Lack of co-operation from lecturers in some of the Departments;

• Lack of adequate venues, - the library has two small laboratories;

• Lack of adequate equipment such as computers and projectors;

• One hour teaching sessions are not enough;

• Most students are not computer literate/students are so slow (makes teaching

difficult) and

• Staff shortages.

In order to solve the problems mentioned in the previous paragraph, the respondents made

the following suggestions:

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• Deans should tell the Heads of Departments and the lecturers about the importance

of Infonnation Literacy, so that they could allocate extra hours for library training

by the students;

• The Universities' Management should lease equipment such as computers and

projectors from external companies so that after one or two years the equipment

could be returned and upgraded;

• More time slots for teaching Infonnation Literacy should be negotiated with some

Departments. In addition, when Departments are planning for their curricula, they

should provide more slots for Infonnation Literacy;

• The University should consider buying dummy computers connected to the

tenninals where students can practice their computer skills. In addition, computer

skills should be compulsory starting from first year and

• Budgeting for staff should be increased.

Respondent E acknowledged that library staffs face some problems in the teaching of

Library Orientation Programme or Infonnation Literacy to students. Some problems cited

include:

• Students are computer illiterate;

• Inadequate amounts of computers, and

• Limited time of two weeks is given to teach Library Orientation Programme, in

which one hour training session is given to first level students and thirty minutes

training session is given to post-graduate students.

Some suggested solutions to the problems presented above are as follows:

• The University Management should come up with a policy to make it mandatory for

all first year students to enroll for computer lessons;

• The University management should purchase extra computers;

• In order to beat the time factor, the library orientation programme should be made a

stand alone module or course for the whole semester;

110

• The library orientation programme should be incorporated into the course of

Communication skills in which library staffwould teach the practical part about the

use of search tools, search strategies and the use ofthe OPAC.

4.10.5. Section 5: Suggestions from library staff on the most effective method for

teaching Library Orientation Programme or Information Literacy.

The section sought to elicit suggestions from the library staff on the most effective method

for teaching Library Orientation ProgrammelInfonnation Literacy.

Responded C suggested that both theoretical and practical modes of teaching be favoured.

It was felt that a theoretical background offers students knowledge of what information

literacy is all about, while the practical part equips the students with the necessary

experience in the use of the library resources.

Respondent D made the following suggestions:

• Integration ofInformation Literacy into the Departments' curricula;

• Slots should be given to the library staff to teach students on referencing when

students are doing their assignments;

• Web tutorials should be introduced where students would download Information

Literacy tutorials; and

• Departments should allocate marks for proper referencing.

Respondent E suggested that the most effective method of teaching Library orientation

programme or information literacy was through practicals such as in the computer

laboratory setting where students would have hands-on, in searching for information using

computers.

4.11 Summary

This chapter has presented the findings obtained from students, academic and library staff.

The focus area of the study was the embedment of Information Literacy Module or Course

into the Universities' curricula, awareness of its availability and attendance by the students

and the ability to identify. locate and retrieve infonnation by the students.

I I I

The study revealed that Infonnation Literacy Module or Course is embedded into the

curricula of the University of Zululand and Mzuzu University and that only a few students

are aware of its availability and attendance. At Durban University of Technology,

Infonnation Literacy is taugt in the library during the library orientation programme.

Students that had received fonnal and infonnal infonnation literacy training were better off

in identifYing, locating and retrieving infonnation than those that had not.

Discussions of findings are done in Chapter five.

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CHAPTER FIVE

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

5.1 Introduction

This chapter discusses the major findings obtained through the three sets of data collection

tools: questionnaires, interviews and observations. An attempt has been made to collate the

fmdings obtained from these techniques and draw correlations with the objectives of the

study. Issues that are considered to be of major importance in this discussion are:

• The offer and teaching of the Module or course of Information Literacy in the

Universities;

• Formulation, design and review ofthe module or course ofInformation Literacy;

• Awareness of the availability and attendance of the module or course in Information

Literacy;

• Responsibility for teaching information literacy or library orientation programme;

• Topics covered in the Module or Course of Information Literacy or Library

Orientation programme

• Mode of delivery or learning of information Literacy module or course or Library

Orientation Programme;

• Equipping students with the skills for doing academic work and handling

information;

• Students' perception about their ability to independently identify, locate, retrieve

and use of information resources;

• Students' perception about their ability to independently identify, locate retrieve

and use information sources by using the OPAC, Indexing and abstracting journals;

• Use ofcitations and references in academic works by the students;

• Challenges faced in the teaching and learning of information literacy and

• Suggestions from library and faculty staff on the most effective method for teaching

information literacy.

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5.2 Offer and teaching of Information Literacy.

The offering of the teaching of the course of Information Literacy in universities under

study was considered to be of very big significance in this study, because it lays the

foundation for the teaching and inculcation of information literacy skills in the students. It

has been observed that information literacy is offered and taught as a Module or Course by

the Departments of Library and Information Science at the University of Zululand and

Mzuzu University. It is also embedded into the Departments' curricula at the two

Universities just mentioned. At the Durban University of Technology, information literacy

is taught in the library during the library orientation programme. Parker (2003: n.p.), and

Orr, Appleton and Wallin (2001 :n.p) advocate for the total integration of information

literacy into the student's course materials. This module or course should attract marks, and

be devised on the basis of collaboration between library staff and academic colleagues.

This is often considered by practitioners as the most effective method for enabling students

to develop their information literacy skills, because it ties information literacy into all

student experiences. De lager and Nassimbeni (2002:12) observe too, that there was a

discernable shift among librarians in South Africa from being satisfied with the standalone,

generic model for information literacy programs to the recognit

ion that integration into subject curricula is a more effective approach to information

literacy training.

5.3 Formulation, design and review oCthe module or course ofInformation Literacy.

The best practice for the design and review of the curriculum is through the involvement of

various stakeholders, such as librarians, administrators, lecturers, and curriculum designers,

in the form of a workshop, as is the case at the Mzuzu University, where participants can

deliberate and come up with a curriculum that is acceptable to all parties. However, the

norm at the University of Zululand is that the module of Information literacy is designed

and reviewed periodically by the lecturer concerned in consultation with the Head of

Department of Library and Information Science. At Mzuzu University, the lecturers in the

Department of Library and Information Science and librarians from across the country are

responsible for the design and formulation of the information literacy curriculum and that

the curriculum is developed through the Curriculum development workshop and is

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reviewed annually. This is similar to what occurred at the Open University in the United

Kingdom, in which during the design of Making Sense of Information in the Connected

Age, (MOSAIC), an assessed, credit bearing short course in Information Literacy, a

number of stakeholders were involved. Parker (2003:n.p) notes that, the development was

made possible with the collaboration between academic and library staff, academic

advisors from the Faculty of Education and Language studies, the Centre for Outcome­

Based Education, with input from members of the SCONUL Advisory Committee who

critically read the course.

5.4 Awareness of the availability and attendance of the module or course in

Information Literacy.

The trend at institutions studied is that only a small number of students are aware of, and

attend the formal classes in Information Literacy at the University of Zululand and Mzuzu

University. This could probably be attributed to the fact that the module or course is

offered to students in the Department of Library and Information Science, Communication

and Agriculture Science at the University of Zululand and to students in the Department of

Library and Information Science only at Mzuzu University as a stand-alone module or

course, since it is not integrated into other departments' curricula.

Alien (2000: n.p) notes that universities need to introduce campus wide information

literacy so as to produce graduates who are able to find, evaluate and apply needed

information. In this case, administrators must set the tone for the entire campus by

incorporating information literacy into the undergraduate curriculum and developing

programs that immerse students into information literacy throughout their undergraduate

years. Azmi (n.d: 159), Orr, Appleton and Wallin (2001 :n.p), Skov and Skrerbak

(2003:n.p.) and Parker (2003: n.p.) agree that the best model is the total integration of

information literacy across-the curriculum, where an information literacy activity is

embedded into the student's course materials.

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5.5 Responsibility for Information Literacy or Library Orientation Programme.

Responsibilities and roles of academic staff and library staff need to be spelt out, so that

there should be no overlap in what the other group is doing. Academic staff are employed

to teach, therefore their responsibility is to design the syllabus in information literacy,

facilitate learning, teach students their areas of specialisation, reinforce what the students

have been taught in information literacy, and giving students exercises, assignments, tests

and exams. This point is in agreement with Alien (2000:n.p), who notes that academic staff

are facilitators of learning, helping their students, how to evaluate information and fit it into

the developing framework of knowledge in that course. This view comforms to the study's

findings, in which at the University of Zululand and Mzuzu University, lecturers in the

Departments of Library and Information Science are responsible for designing, reviewing

and teaching Information Literacy modules or courses.

Library staff on the other hand, are solely responsible for teaching library orientation

programme. They are responsible for imparting practical skills to students on how to use

the library, searching, identif)ring, locate and retrieving information by using the OPAe,

indexing and abstracting tools, databases and writing citations and references. This is so,

because librarians are the custodians of the information resources and that this would also

avoid overlaps in the teaching of Information Literacy or library orientation programme.

They know the operations of the library and the resources housed therein. The trend in the

libraries at the three institutions under study is that, senior library staffs are responsible for

conducting or teaching information literacy or Library orientation programme.

However, the academic teaching and library staff ought to work together in the teaching of

information literacy or library orientation programme since their goal is the same, namely

to impart information literacy skills to students to enable them to independently search,

identif)r, retrieve and use information responsibly. This view is supported by Bruce

(2002: I3), who observes that information literacy is not possible without partnerships with

students, information specialists, Information Technology specialists, curriculum designers

and others. All these need to collaborate since there is no single group that can claim

responsibility for information literacy amongst students.

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5.6 Topics covered in the Module or Course oflnformation Literacy or Library

orientation programme.

There is no prescription as to what should be included in the content of infonnation

literacy. This is supported by Underwood (n.d:7-8), who in reporting on the results of the

INFOLIT project, noted that there had been a development of a Web-based Infonnation

literacy course which is available at all the tertiary institutions in the Western Cape, though

each institution is responsible for the content of Infonnation literacy and how it should be

taught. However, the topics offered should incorporate the infonnation literacy standards

such as the Seven Pillars of Infonnation Literacy, the Big6 Skills, the Infonnation Search

Process, Research Process Model, and Pathways to Knowledge. According to the Council

of Australian University Librarians (CAUL, 2001 :4), infonnation literacy standards

provide a framework for embedding infonnation literacy in the design and teaching of

educational programs, and for assessing the infonnation literate individual. In addition, the

standards outline the process by which academics and librarians assess specific indicators

which show that an individual is infonnation literate. These standards are equally useful to

the students because they provide a framework for their interaction with infonnation in the

environment.

Some topics that are commonly taught in the institutions under study include sources of

infonnation, searching and retrieval tools, the use of I-Link OPAC, use of the Internet and

electronic sources such as Databases, evaluating and manipUlating infonnation in usable

fonn, organisation of infonnation resources in the library, communicating infonnation and

citing and referencing of academic works.

5.7 Mode of delivery or learning of information Literacy module or course or Library

Orientation Programme

The mode of delivery is very important in the teaching of Infonnation Literacy module or

course, because it entails the imparting of rare skills. The leaming modes offered in the

infonnation literacy module or course, theoretical and practical, as cited by the respondents

involve lectures by lecturers in class, group discussions, and hands-on, in the use of the

library such as browsing and using the Open Access Public Catalogue and other resources

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in the library. The use of the theoretical mode only is not adequate as it does not allow self­

directed learning and problem solving among students. The students do not become active

participants in the process of identifying, locating, retrieving and using information

responsibly such as citing sources and writing references, hence the mix of practical

learning modes. The use of different modes of delivery such as lectures, groups discussion

and practicals by academic teaching staff is of critical importance. This is supported by

Dazkiw and Forsyth (2004:3), who illustrate the point with an example at La Trobe

University, in Canada where a new Information Literacy subject introduced into the

Bachelor ofNursing degree was presented as a set of lectures published online in WebCT

modules and delivered in the traditional university lecture mode. Formal lectures were also

improved with standard tutorials, and workshops.

5.8 Equipping students with the skills for doing academic work and handling

information.

The purpose of teaching information literacy is to equip students with information handling

skills in order for them to become independent in searching, identifying, locating,

retrieving and handling information ethically. This view is in line with Lock (2003: n.p),

who asserts that the skills that the students need to put to use include the ability to use a

library and its resources for advancing one's studies, being able to perform literature

searches to whatever depth and complexity is required for a particular curriculum/discipline

area, and being able to demonstrate this to the satisfaction of tutors and assessors in

whatever form necessary by means of citations and references to reading and information

gathering. The other component of skills includes attributes of awareness and

understanding of the way in which information is produced, some practical ideas of how

information is acquired, managed, disseminated and exploited, particularly with knowledge

of how appropriate professional groups use information in the workplace, in business, and

in the world of culture and the arts. It also includes the critical appraisal of the content and

validity of the information. The module or course of information requires that the students

should be computer literate for their learning and practical skills in searching for

information. In addition, the duration should be long enough for inCUlcating information

literacy skills in students.

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5.9 Students' perception about their ability to independently identify, locate, retrieve

and use information sources.

The teaching of information literacy is very important in institutions of higher learning

considering the vast amount of information resources being produced. It makes students to

depend less on their lecture notes and on librarians for their information needs, as they are

able to do the searches on their own. This view conforms to triat of the American Library

Association (ALA), (2007:1) which states that information literacy is a set of abilities,

which enable individuals to recognise when information is needed and possessing the

ability to locate, evaluate, and utilise the needed information. Because of the technological

advancement, which has resulted in the proliferation of information, which is readily

available in libraries, community resources, special interest organisations and the media,

individuals are faced with diverse abundant information choices, whether in their academic

studies, in the workplace, or in their personal lives.

Students from the three institutions, who have received information literacy training, be it

formally, or informally, through the library, were found to be most familiar with locating

and retrieving newspapers and books. This can be attributed to the fact that newspapers are

mostly visible in the institutions' libraries under study. Students do not need searching

using the OPAC to identitY and retrieve newspapers, hence, the easiness of their

identification, retrieval and use. Books on the other hand, are the most known and common

sources of information. This is supported by the fact that lecturers prescribe texts for

students'use. Similarly, most students fmd books easier to use than other sources of

information such as journals and databases. It was discovered that the students who have

received some form of Information Literacy training, had the perception that they were able

to independently identitY, locate and retrieve information, unlike those that had not

received any kind of Information Literacy training. It could also be that students lack the

information search and use skills such as described in the the Big6 Skills model by

Eisenberg and Bekowitz (l990:n.p), the Information Search Process model, by Kuhlthau

(1993: 1-3), the Seven Pillars of Information Literacy (Sconul, 1999: 6-8), the Research

Process model by Stripling and Pitts (1988: n.p) and the Pathways to Knowledge model by

I 19

Pappas and Tepe (2002: 1-3). Bruce (2002:5) notes that information literacy encourages

deep, rather than surface learning and it has the potential to change dependent learners into

independent, self-directed, lifelong learners. People who lack information literacy depend

upon others to search, identify, locate and retrieve knowledge and information.

The majority of the students who were had the perception that they were able to identify,

locate, retrieve and use information were from the Durban University of Technology who

had acquired the skills to independently identify, locate, retrieve and use information

resources from the Library. The library offers information literacy to the students at all

level of study and teach about I-link, basic search, advanced search, sources of information,

E-resources, and locating information using different retrieval tools. Others may have

acquired the skills from attending the Communication Skills modules or course offered by

the English Department. While respondents from the University of Zululand most likely

could have acquired the skills from the module of Information Literacy and library

orientation programme which is mandatory to first year students in the University and teach

students information sources, search tools, databases and search engines. Respondents

from Mzuzu University could probably have acquired the skills from the course of

Information Literacy offered to first year students in the Department of Library and

Information Science, Communication Studies which is offered to all first year students in

the university and teach students about information sources, search tools, search engines,

databases and searching and locating information using different search tools and in the

library during the library orientation programme in which some topics such as searching

and retrieval tools, use of the internet and the OPAC, classification and arrangement of

information sources in the library and citing and referencing of academic works are taught.

5.10 Students' perception about their ability to independently identify, locate retrieve

and use information sonrces by using the OPAC, Indexing and abstracting journals.

The OPAC and indexing and abstracting journals are access tools which have been defined

as "a resource, the sole purpose of which is to lead the user to particular types of

information" (Ojedokun 2007: 65). Without information access tools, a user would be

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frustrated by not knowing if information required exists and where to [md it. It is important

therefore that students learn about, and become familiar with their use.

The students' perception about the familiarity in the use of the OPAC at the DUT, can be

attributed to the fact that Subject Librarians teach students Information Literacy in the

library, so as to equip the students with the skills to independently search, identify, locate

and retrieve information sources, using retrieval tools such as the OPAC, and indexing and

abstracting journals. At the University of Zululand, respondents' perception about the

familiarity to use the OPAC can be ascribed to the fact that they acquired the skills from

the module of Information Literacy and during the Library Orientation programme in

which fIrst timers in the university are taught and have hands-on, in the use of the OPAC,

indexing and abstracting journals. At Mzuni, the reason that can be advanced for students

who have not received formal information literacy training, but have the perception about

the ability to independently identify and locate collections in the library by using the OPAC

is that, students learn search and retrieval of information in their fIrst year of study in the

course of Communication skills, which is compulsory to all fIrst year students in the

University. In addition, during the library orientation programme, students are taught how

to search and retrieve information in the library by the use of the OPAC, indexing and

abstracting Journals.

However, the trend at the University of Zululand and Mzuzu University show that the

majority of the students that had not received formal information literacy training had the

perception that they did not have the ability to use indexing and abstracting journals. The

reason could be that some students are not interested as they are so absorbed into the use of

the Internet. This view is supported by Throll in (Selematsula, 2005:3 I) who observes that

students are so used to the use of the Web, such that their search skills are poor and they

are unable to distinguish appropriate from inappropriate resources for their assignments

that. In addition, Throll in (Selernatsula, 2005 :31) notes, "modem students' behaviour

leaves much to be desired." The perception is that they read less and have less intellectual

curiosity. Alternatively, it could be that they are too busy with other activities to explore

and learn what libraries have to offer. Another factor might be that academic departments

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are assigning fewer projects to students that require exploring and using library resources.

It could also be that some students had been absconding from attending library orientation

programmes because they felt they were not important as they never carried any marks in

their subjects.

It can be deduced that inculcation of Information Literacy skills in students is important for

their information seeking, identifYing, retrieval and use.

5.11 Use of citations and references in academic works.

The use of citations and references in institutions of higher learning can not be over

emphasised. The writing of citations and references in academic works is best summed up

by the SCONUL working group (1999: 6), Information Literacy Pillar number six, which

is, the ability to organise, apply and communicate information to others. It states that, in

communicating information to others, the student should understand ethical, legal, and

socio-economic issues surrounding information. In addition, the student should

demonstrate an understanding of intellectual property, copyright and fair use of

copyrighted materials. To avoid issues of plagiarism, the student should acknowledge the

use of information sources by selecting an appropriate citation style in project reports and

theses. Throll in (Selematsula, 2005:31) found that students majoring in business,

mathematics or science infrequently use the library. This explains why most of respondents

that indicated not using citations and references come from the same field of study. The

trend shows that the majority of respondents who have not received information literacy

training be it, formal or informal do not use citations and reference in their academic

works. All respondents that had received formal information literacy training had indicated

using citations and references in the academic works and references.

5.12 Challenges faced in the teaching and learning of Information Literacy or library

orientation programme.

Some of the most critical common problems faced in the three institutions pertaining to the

teaching and learning of information literacy, include inadequate time, lack of computer

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skills, inadequate venues and equipment, lack of cooperation, overcrowding of classes and

erratic network connections.

Time plays a very important role in the teaching of information literacy. The shorter the

period of teaching, the more likely that teaching cannot be done effectively and that the

important information skills cannot be adequately imparted to the students. If, on the other

hand, the teaching period is longer, there is more likelihood that students can grasp the

topics being taught. All the three institutions showed lack of adequate time in effectively

teaching their students. Information Literacy requires that students do practicals, but again,

within such a short period of time, this has a bearing on students, especially the slow

learners in grasping a lot of topics within such a short time frame. Moore and Abson (in

Selematsula, 2005:30) affIrm that, students enter the university with a greater polarity of

skills thereby making it difficult for academic and library staff to pitch Information

Literacy sessions at the same level. Additionally learning in such an environment is made

difficult, because students have different learning abilities. In some cases, students would

need personal attention in order for them to grasp the content. It is difficult to personally

attend to each student in overcrowded classes. This view has been noted by 0' Hair and

Odell, Hope et al. and Winfred and Manning in (Selematsula, 2005:30) who tend to agree

that the student population of today is very diverse and teachers are responsible for

classrooms that represent students of different colours, racial and ethnic groups, religion

languages, backgrounds, ages and learning styles and computer skills.

Another problem encountered in the teaching of the information literacy or library

orientation programme in the three institutions under study was students' lack of computer

literacy or skills. Some topics such as the use of the orAC, databases, search engines,

searching and retrieval in the module or course of information literacy involve the use of

the computers and the Internet. As such, it requires that the students should be computer

literate. This has an implication in teaching, in that a lot of time is taken for teaching

students basic computer literacy instead of going straight to teaching Information Literacy

or Library Orientation Programme since students are slow and it makes teaching very

difficult.

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Another problem faced is inadequate equipment such as computers and overhead projectors

and venues for students' practicals. The teaching of Information Literacy requires that it be

in a setting where there are computers for students' practicals. This contributes to a smooth

teaching and learning environment. The shortage of equipment and venues means limited

access to computers and subsequent lack of adequate practicals being offered.

Lack of teamwork between academic teaching staff and library staff in teaching library

information literacy or orientation programme was found to be a problem faced by the

library staff. Lack of cooperation hinders the successful running of Information Literacy or

Library Orientation Programmes. This might result in frictions, fighting for equipment and

venues for teaching as well as duplication of topics being taught. For any teaching

programme to run successfully, it needs the partnership of key players. In this case

academic staff and library staff need to collaborate when it comes to the teaching of

Information Literacy or Library Orientation Programmes, because it involves the

inculcation of skills into students in order for them to independently identifY, locate,

retrieve and use information responsibly by writing citations and references in their

academic works, without bothering their lecturers. This argument is supported by Barbour,

Gavin and Canefield (2004:3), who noted that collaboration among faculty, librarians and

technical staff is important for coming up with appropriate training needs, information

sources, learning modules, and computer and information literacy requirements, as well as

to assist students gain expertise in technical design and interface issues that will help them

succeed in a university environment and beyond. Thompson (2000:3) also notes that the

introduction of computer skills and information literacy at the University of Pretoria in

1998 necessitated collaboration between the Departments of Information Science,

Informatics and Computer Science as well as the academic information service in the

development of the course.

The other problem that was observed as being common was erratic network connections

due to power disruptions at both the University of Zululand and Mzuzu University.

According to the researcher's own views, load shedding of power is beyond the

Universities' control and it is viewed as a national as well as a regional crisis pertaining in

most of the countries in the Southern Africa region. The power blackouts tend to disrupt

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the teaching and learning of Information Literacy in that classes are based on the use of

computers, overhead projectors and the Internet. Once power goes out, it means, the

network server is disrupted for some time and classes are dismissed. This also has a

bearing on students' practicaIs as most often the servers are down.

5.13 Summary

This chapter has discussed issues arising from students, academic teaching staff as well as

from library staff. It has incorporated findings from all the data gathering tools. The

chapter has established that information literacy is offered and taught at the University of

Zululand and Mzuzu University. It has been evident from the discussion that at both, the

University of Zululand and Mzuzu University lecturers in the Department of Library and

Information science take the lead in the design, formulation and review of the syllabus.

Some students alluded to the fact that they were aware of the availability of and attended

the module or course in information literacy. It has been made clear in the discussion that

the academic staff are responsible for teaching the module or course of information

literacy, whereas library staff are responsible for teaching library orientation programme. It

was indicated too, that teaching academic staff and library staff form partnerships in

teaching information literacy or library skill to students albeit loosely. A strong

collaboration exists at OUT.

It has been revealed that, modes of delivery by the academic teaching respondents are

mostly by lectures, group discussions and practicals, whereas delivery by library staff was

mainly by both theory and practical modes. Students' learning modes, theoretical and

practical, involved lectures by lecturers in class and group discussions. Some common

topics taught in Information Literacy classes and during the Library Orientation

Programmes include among others; sources of information, searching and retrieval tools,

referencing and citing and copyright, use of the Internet and electronic sources such as

databases.

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It was found that most students that had attended information literacy training in the form

of a module or course, and library orientation programme, had the perception that they had

the ability to independently search identifY, locate, retrieve and use information. The study

also found that students were more familiar with the 0 PAC than indexing and abstracting

journals. A good number of students used citations and references in their academic works,

though the majority does not. Some common problems faced by academic teaching staff,

library staff and the students had to do with include inadequate time, lack of computer

skills, inadequate venues and equipment, lack of cooperation, overcrowding of classes and

erratic network connection.

Chapter Six provides the surnmary, recommendations and conclusion based on the research

objectives.

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CHAPTER SIX

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

6.1 Introduction

The purpose of the chapter is to summarise the research findings, and to propose

recommendations on the teaching of information literacy in institutions of higher learning

under study. The chapter also suggests items for further research. To this end, the chapter is

divided into introduction, summary, conclusions and recommendations.

The aim of the study was to investigate the teaching and learning of information literacy in

institutions of higher learning in Kwazulu-Natal province and Malawi. In order to

accomplish the aim ofthe study, the following objectives were generated:

• To determine the offer and teaching of information literacy.

• To ascertain learning of information literacy.

• To establish who is responsible for the teaching of Information Literacy

module/course/ Library orientation programme.

• To establish the existence of collaboration between library staff and the department

oflibrary and information Science.

• To determine the students' perception about their ability to independently identifY,

locate, retrieve and use of information resources by the students.

• To establish the problems faced in the teaching and learning of information literacy.

• To seek suggestions from library and academic teaching staff on the most effective

method for teaching information literacy.

6.2 Summary

This section summarises the research findings based on the seven research objective as

outlined above.

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6.2.1 To determine the offer and teaching of information literacy.

The study revealed that information literacy is offered and taught at the University of

Zululand's and Mzuzu University's Departments of Library and Information as a module

and course respectively. The module or course is periodically reviewed at both the

University of Zululand and Mzuzu University. Information literacy offered and taught by

the library as part of the library orientation Programme at the Durban University of

Technology. The modes of delivery by the academic teaching respondents are mostly by

lectures, group discussions and practicals.

6.2.2 To ascertain the learning modes of information literacy

The learning modes offered in the information literacy module or course are theoretical and

practical, which involved lectures by lecturers in class, and group discussions.

6.2.3 To establish who is responsible for the teaching of information literacy

module or course or Library orientation programme.

The study established that, at University ofZululand and Mzuzu University, lecturers in the

Departments of Library and Information Science were responsible for teaching the formal

Information Literacy module or course. Whereas, Senior Subject Librarians were

responsible for conducting or teaching the Library Orientation Programme at the University

of Zululand and Durban University of Technology. At Mzuzu University, the study found

that senior library staffs are responsible for conducting the library orientation programme.

Various topics were indicated as being taught by both the academic and library staff. The

topics include information sources, searching and retrieval tools, evaluating and

manipulating information in usable form, referencing and citing and copyright,

communicating information, use of the Internet and electronic sources such as Datahases

and organisation of information resources in the library (see par 4.93 and 4.2.10 in chap 4).

128

6.2.4 To establish the existence of collaboration between library staff and the

Department of Library and Information science.

Academic and library staff from the University of Zululand and Mzuzu University

indicated that they do not collaborate formally in the teaching of Infonnation literacy or

library orientation programme. At the University of Zululand, library staff indicated that

informal collaboration exists in the fonn of some lecturers sending students to the library to

familiarise themselves with collections in the library, to have hands-on practicals such as

searching and retrieval of databases, use of the indexes and the OPAC. At the Durban

University of Tecbnology, libraries collaborate with all the Departments in the teaching of

Information literacy or library orientation programme.

6.2.5 To determine the students' perception about their ability to independently

identify, locate, retrieve and use of information resources.

Most of the respondents, both who had received fonnal information literacy training and

those who had not received formal information literacy training had the perception that

they had the ability to independently identif'y, locate, and retrieve mostly newspapers

followed by books. Hence, infonnation Literacy is important whether it is delivered

formally in class or in the Library during the orientation programme, the bottom line is that

it helps the students to acquire the skill to independently search and retrieve information.

Pertaining to the use of citations and references in academic works, the study found that all

respondents that had received formal information literacy training used citations and

references in their academic works and references. While, most of respondents that had not

received formal information literacy training did not use citations and reference in their

academic works.

6.2.6 To establish the problems faced in the teaching and learning of information

literacy or library orientation programme.

Both academic staff, library staff and the students mentioned some of the common

problems they encountered as inadequate time, lack of computer skills by the students,

inadequate venues and equipment for teaching and students' practicals, lack of cooperation

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overcrowding of classes and erratic network connections due to the power disruptions and

the fault inherent in the performance of the libraries' computer systems at both the

University ofZululand and Mzuzu University (See pars 4.5, 4.95 and 4.1 0.4 in chap 4).

6.2.7 To seek suggestions from library and academic staff on the most effective

method for teaching information literacy or library orientation programme.

The academic staff at the University of Zululand and Mzuzu University suggested that the

most effective method for teaching information literacy was in computer laboratory setting,

where there are computers.

6.3 Conclusion

The study found that information literacy is embedded into the curricula of the

Departments of Library and Information Science at the University of Zululand and Mzuzu

University and taught is offered through the Module or Course of Information Literacy at

both universities. In as far as, the responsibility for teaching information literacy or library

orientation is concerned, it was established that lecturers in the Departments of Library and

Information Science were responsible for teaching Information Literacy module or course

and Senior Subject Librarians were responsible for conducting or teaching Library

orientation programmes at the University of Zululand and Durban University of

Technology. At Mzuzu University, the study found that senior library staff is responsible

for conducting library orientation programme. The study, ascertained that some topics

taught in the module or course of information literacy information sources, searching and

retrieval tools, evaluating and manipulating information in usable form, referencing and

citing and copyright, communicating information, use of the Internet and electronic sources

such as Databases and organisation of information resources in the library were similar to

the ones taught during the library orientation programme. Modes of delivery are mainly by

lectures, group discussions and practicals in the computer laboratory and both theory and

practical modes in the Library.

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It was found that, at the University ofZululand and Mzuzu University, formal collaboration

between academic staff and library staff in the teaching of information literacy or library

orientation programme does not exist. However, at the Durban University of Technology,

collaboration between library staff and academic departments in the teaching of

information literacy or library orientation programme exists.

Furthermore, the study shows that the majority of respondents, both those that had received

formal information literacy training, and those that had not received formal information

literacy training, were able to identify, locate, retrieve and use mostly newspapers and

books. Pertaining to the use of citations and references in academic works, the study found

that all respondents that had received formal information literacy training used citations

and references in their academic works and references. While, most of respondents that had

not received formal information literacy training did not use citations and reference in their

academic works.

Several problems that are faced in the teaching and learning of information literacy were

enumerated as including in-adequate time, lack of computer skills by the students,

inadequate venues and equipment for teaching and students' practicals, lack of cooperation,

overcrowding of classes and erratic network connections due to power disruptions. In

addition, the most effective method for teaching information literacy suggested, was In

computer laboratory setting, where there are computers.

6.4 Recommendations

The recommendations emanate from the results and conclusion of this study within the

overall objectives framework. The study recommends the following:

6.4.1 Offer and teaching of Information literacy.

• The offer and teaching of information literacy into the whole Universities where

information literacy topics should be embedded into the student's course

materials, delivered in the context of the subject they are studying, be adopted.

131

This approach is viewed as the most effective way for enabling students to

develop their information literacy skills. It also allows the use of information to

become part of the learning process and prepares them for the challenges of

research, problem solving and continuous learning.

• The Durban University of Technology should introduce a dedicated module or

course in information literacy and embed it into the students' course materials.

The three universities should also publicise to academic staff, students and the

decision makers the importance of having module or course of information

literacy.

6.4.2 Design, formulation and review of the module or course of information literacy.

• The Department of Library and Information Science at the University of

Zululand should design, formulate and review its curriculum in a form of

workshop at which stakeholders from various departments and sectors should be

involved as is the case at Mzuzu University. Modem teaching in institutions of

higher learning requires partnerships with all stakeholders.

6.4.3 Establishment of a formal collaboration between library staff and academic

staff.

• A formal collaboration between academic and library staff should be introduced

at the University of Zululand and Mzuzu University to an extent that the

academic teaching departments should give up their lecture periods so that they

can send the students to the library to learn about searching, identifYing,

locating, retrieving of information.

• Library staff should be invited to classes to teach practical aspects of

information literacy and academic staff should be invited to teach in their

subject areas during the library orientation programme. Collaboration between

library staff and academic staff is the hallmark of making a successful

information literacy or library orientation programme in a University.

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6.4.4 The teaching and learning of information literacy.

• Information Literacy should be introduced into various modules or courses

published and presented online in WebCT modules and delivered lecture modes

with the help oftutorials, and workshops.

• Topics to be taught should encompass the various information literacy

standards such as the Seven pillars of information literacy, the Big6 skills,

Information Search process, Research process Model, and pathways to

Knowledge.

6.4.5 Students' perception about their ability to independently identify, locate,

retrieve and use of information resources by using the OPAC, indexing and

abstractingjourna~.

• Academic staff should reinforce students' use of indexing and abstracting

journals by collaborating among themselves in giving the students more work,

assignments that require searching and the use of indexing and abstracting

journals.

6.4.6 Use of citations and references in academic works.

• Academic staff should collaborate among themselves and with library staff by

devising a uniform citation style to be used by students and reinforce, the

students' use of citations and references;

• Academic staff should give assignments to students that entail the use of

citations and references and

• Academic staff should insist on their students attending library orientation

programmes so that they could be imparted with an ability to correctly write

citations and references in their academic work.

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6.4.7 Problems faced in the teaching and learning of information literacy or library

orientation programme.

The recommendation emanate from the suggested solutions by the academic teaching and

library staff and the students.

6.4.7.1 Time factor

• In order to beat the time factor, the University of Zululand should revert to the

semester system where there would be enough contact hours between the academic

staffwith students, who in turn would have enough time to grasp the content;

• At Mzuni, a proper timetable should be allocated to enable students In

the Department of Library and Information Science for the use of the leT

laboratory.

• For teaching of library orientation programmes, library staff should negotiate with

the academic departments so that some departments should provide in their

curricula, more slots for the teaching of Information Literacy or library orientation

programme.

6.4.7.2 Lack of computer literacy

• The three institutions should consider buying dummy computers connected to the

terminals where students can practice their computer skills. In addition, teaching of

computer skills should be made compulsory to all students starting from first year

and it should be a comprehensive deliberate policy of one to two months of

teaching computer skills and

• Some private companies should be considered to teach computer skills.

6.4.7.3 In adequate equipment and venues.

• Universities' management should buy more computers and projectors and build

more computer laboratories. If they can not manage to buy then, they should

134

consider leasing the equipment from some companies so that after one or two years

the equipment could be returned.

6.4.7.4 Lack of Cooperation

• A campus-wide approach cooperation should be initiated from which management

should direct the Deans and Heads of Departments to instruct the academic staff to

allocate more hours for library training.

• A formal agreement between academic staff and library staff should be made. This

would entail forming a well structured programme for teaching information literacy

or library orientation programme in which subject librarians would be invited to

class and teach about the resources available in the library and an assessment of

students should be done at the end of the teaching or training sessions and marks or

grades awarded should count towards their end of the term or semester continuous

assessments.

6.4.7.5 Overcrowding of classes.

• Small manageable classes of 25 are recommended, with the help of tutorials.

6.4.7.6 Erratic network connections.

• Universities' management should consider buying power generators and upgrade

the current network.

6.4.8. The most effective method for teaching information literacy.

The study echoes suggestions made by the academic staff in the teaching of information

literacy as being in a computer laboratory.

• Teaching should be reinforced by buying some dummy computers.

135

6.5 Recommendations for further study.

The study proposes that:

• An INFOLIT project study conducted in the Western Cape Province be replicated

in KwaZulu-Natal Province and Malawi.

• A comprehensive study on information literacy should be carried out, once an

across-the- curriculum model it is put in place.

• A feasibility study of rolling out the study in information literacy to a wider cross

section of institutions in South Africa and Malawi should be conducted.

• A study on sharing of best practice or experiences between and among institutions

regarding the teaching and learning of information literacy in institutions of higher

learning should be considered.

136

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145

APPENDIX 1

Table for Research Methodology

Aim: To investigate the teaching and learning of information literacy in institutions ofhighcr le3ming in Kwazulu-Natal Province and Malawi

Objectives Questions Method Instrument

1. To determine the offer and teaching of 1. Is information literacy taught and offered in Survey Interview schedule

information literacy _ the Universities under study? Questionnaire

Document study Literature review

2. To ascertain the learning of infonnation 2_ What learning modes exist in the institution? Survey Questionnaire

literacy or library orientation programme

3_ To establish the who are responsible for the 3. Who are responsible for the teaching of Survey Interview schedule

teaching of information literacy or library infonnation literacy or library orientation

orientation progrmmae. programme?

4.To "SCertain the existence of collaboration 4. Is there any collaboration between library staff Survey Interview schedule

between library staff and the Department of and the Department of Library and Information

Librnry and ",formation Science in the teaching of Science in the teaching of information literacy or

information literacy 0' librnry orientation library orientation programme?

programme.

5. To determine students' perception about their 5. Are students able to independently identify, Survey Questionnaire

ability to independently identi fy, locate, locate, retrieve and use information resources? Observation

retrieve and use of information resources by the

students.

6. To identify problems faced in the teaching and 6. What problems do the universities face in the Survey Questionnaire

learning of information literacy or library delivery of information literacy or library lnten'iew schedule

orientatIOn programme_ I orientation programsme?I

7.To seek suggestions from library and faculty staff What are the solutions to the challenges faced in Survey lnten'iew schedule

on the most effective method for teaching the delivery of information literacy or library

infonnation literacy or library orientation orientation programme?

programmeI I

146

APPENDIX 2

Questionnaire for students

UNIVERSITY OF ZULULAND DEPARTMENT OF LffiRARY AND

INFORMATION SCIENCE

Dear respondent

I am currently a student carrying out a study on 'Teaching and learning of Information

Literacy in Institutions of higher learning in KwaZulu -Natal Province and Malawi to

fulfiII the requirements of the Master of Library and Information Science, in the

Department of Library and Information Science at the University of Zululand. The title of

my dissertation and the purpose of the study is to investigate the 'Teaching and Learning

of Information Literacy in Institutions of higher Learning in KwaZulu - Natal.

Province and Malawi'

The purpose of this questionnaire is to solicit data. You were selected randomly to partake

in this research and it would be much appreciated if you could kindly spare some time off

your busy schedule and respond to the items in this questionnaire fully and honestly. Your

invitation to respond to this questionnaire is voluntary and you may withdraw at any time

for whatever reasons. However, I would be most grateful if you could fill in the

questionnaire, and return it to the secretary of your department or your lecturer. You stand

to benefit by responding to the questionnaire as it would give you an idea of designing

questionnaires. Your responses would be used for research purposes only and would be

treated with strict confidentiality. No names of respondents will be divulged during the

dissemination of the results and the publication of the thesis. Data will be disposed of in

the form of burning immediately after an analysis has been conducted. Your quick

response would be highly appreciated.

Please fill in a declaration form.

Thank you

147

Yours Sincerely

George Chipeta

Department of Library and Information Science

University ofZululand

PlBagxlOOI

KwaDlangezwa 3886

Cell: 073 2164881

0826256689

E-mail: georgechipeta@yahoo.com

Supervisor's contact details

Or. D. Jacobs

Department of Library an d Information Science

PlBag xlOOI

Kwadlangezwa 3886

Tel: 035 9026832

Cell: 0823165362

Email: daisyjacobs@yahoo.com

Dr. J. Mostert

Department of Library an d Information Science

PlBag xlOOl

Kwadlangezwa 3886

Tel:

Cell:

E-mail: jmostert@pan.uzuiu.ac.za

148

Declaration

loo 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 00 0 0 0 ••••••••••••• 0000 ••• 0 •• 0 0 00.0 •••••••••• 0. 0 ••••••••• (full names of

participant) hereby confinn that I understand the contents of this document and the nature

of the research project, and I consent to participating in the research project.

I understand that I am at liberty to withdraw from the project at any time, should I so

desire.

SIGNATURE OF PARTICIPANT DATE

............................................................................................................

149

Please answer all questions as completely as possible by indicating your option witheither a cross (x) or a tick (V) in the brackets.

Section 1: Personal Information

1. Please indicate you institutional affiliation.

University ofZululand

Durban University of Technology - MS Sultan Campus

Mzuzu University

2. Indicate the faculty you belong to (e.g. Faculty ofArts).

3. What is your level of study?

Under- graduatePost- graduate certificatePost -graduate diplomaHonoursMastersDoctoratePost Doctoral

4. What is your gender?

MaleFemale

Section 2: Offer and Teaching ofInformation Literacy .

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]

[ ][ 1

Instruction: Please read before you answer the questions.Information literacy is a course or module offered to teach and equip students with theskills to independently search, identify, locate, evaluate, retrieve and use informationsources such as books, journals, online databases, newspapers, encyclopedias andhandbooks and directories for various purposes. In addition, the course or module alsoteaches students about citing sources of information and making a list of references inassignments, research and other academic works.

150

5. Are you aware of the availability ofAwareNot awareDo not know

a course or module in information literacy?[ ][ ][ ]

6. Do you attend or have you attended the course or module in information literacy?Yes [ ]No [ ]

Ifyour answer to question 6 is "no", proceed to question 18, if "yes" pleaseproceed with the next question.

7. What is the title and code of the course or module?

8. Which department teaches the information literacy course or module?

9. Which topics are covered in information literacy course or module?

10. Are you satisfied with the content being offered in information literacy?

YesNo

[ ][ ]

I L If your answer in question 10 is "no", state the areas that need to be removed and/oradded.

12. Do you think it is relevant for you to have a course or module of information literacyin your institution?

YesNo

[ ][ ]

151

Indicate the reason for your answer.

Section 33.1 Modes ofteaching information literacy.

13. What is the mode of teaching the information literacy classes?

Lectures by lecturers [ 1Learning guides [ ]Web classes [ 1Interactive CD [ 1Other, specify , .

3.2 Learning modes of information literacy

14. Which ofthe following learning modes does the module offer?

Theoretical mode onlyPractical mode onlyBoth theoretical and practical modes

15. State the mode oflearning that you would favour.

[ 1[ 1[ 1

Section 4: Problems being faced in the teaching and learning of information literacy

16. What problems do you face in the learning and application of information literacymodule?

Section 5: Suggestions on the most effective learning and applicatiou of informationliteracy module.

17. Suggest solutions to the problems mentioned in question 16.

152

Section 6: Students' perception about the ability to independently identify, locate andretrieve information.

18. State whether or not you are able to independently identiry, locate, retrieve and usethe following information sources.

Information sources Identifv Locate Retrieve UseBooksDatabasesEncyclopediaHandbooks and DirectoriesJournalsNewspapers

19. Are you able to independently identiry and locate collections in the Library usingthe following aids or tools?

Open Access Public CatalogueIndexesAbstract Journals

Yes [ ] No [ ]Yes [ ] No [ ]Yes [ ] No [ ]

20. Which of the following access points do you use in the retrieval ofinforrnation?

Author [ ]Title [ ]Subject [ ]

All of them [ ]Other, speciry .

153

21. Indicate the purposes that you use infonnation for.

For Decision -making

For entertainment

For general infonnation

Learning purposes

Problem solving

22. Do you know how to use citations and references in your academic works?

YesNo

[ 1[ 1

23. If"no", what problems do you experience? If "yes", where did you learn about citing andreferencing?

Thank you very much for your time and effort in completing this questionnaire. Make sureyou have responded to all items relevant to you.

Gbftc© 2007

154

APPENDIX 3

Observation Schedule

Ability to independently identify, locate, retrieve and use various informationsources.

1. Searching for infonnation Sources.

Behaviour Access points Frequency Commentused

Books

Databases

Encyclopedias

Journals

Newspapers

I

155

2. Locating and identifying information sources

Behaviour Access points Frequency Commentused

Books

Databases

Encyclopedias

Journals

Newspapers

156

3. Retrieving information sources.

Behaviour Source Comment

Books

Databases

Encyclopedias

Journals

Newspapers

157

APPENDIX 4

Interview schedule for Academic staff.

Section 1: Personal Information

1. What is your institutional affiliation?

University ofZululand

Durban University of Technology - MS Sultan Campus

Mzuzu University

2. Which faculty do you belong to?

3. What is your rank?

ProfessorAssociate ProfessorSenior lecturerLecturerJunior lecturerOther, specifY

SECTION 2: Offer and teaching of Information Literacy.

[ ]

[ ]

[ ]

[ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]

4. Is the Module or course of Information literacy offered in your Department?

YesNo

[ ][ ]

5. Is the Module or course of Information Literacy embedded into your department'sCurriculum?

158

YesNo

[ ][ ]

5. Who is responsible for the design and formulation of the information Literacysyllabus?

6. How is the syllabus on Information Literacy designed?

7. Is the syllabus of Information Literacy reviewed?

YesNo

8. If the answer in 7 is yes, state how often is the syllabus reviewed.

SECTION 3: Responsibility for the teaching of Information literacy.

9. What topics are covered in teaching information literacy?

10. What mode of delivery is used in teaching information literacy?

[ ][ ]

I I. To whom is the course of information literacy offered or taught? Give reasons for theanswer.

12. In your opinion, do you think this module or course adequately equip students with theskills for writing assignments, do research and other information related tasks?

13. In your opinion, do you think this module adequately equip students with the skills toindependently identify, locate and retrieve information?

14. In your opinion, does the module instill in students the ability to correctly writecitations and references?

15. If the answers to questions 12, 13 and 14 are no, what do you see as the problem?

16. How many lecturers are involved in teaching information literacy?

159

SECTION 4: Existence of Collaboration between academic staff and Library staff

17. Is there any collaboration in the teaching of Information Literacy between thedepartment responsible for teaching information literacy and Library staff'?

18. If yes, indicate the roles and responsibilities played by each in the teaching ofInformation Literacy.

Roles and responsibilities of the teaching Department.

Roles and responsibilities of the Library staff.

SECTION 5: Problems faced in the delivery of Information Literacy Module orCourse.

19. Do you face any problems in the delivery of information Literacy module?

20. If the answer in question 23 is yes, state the problems being faced.

21. Suggest solutions to the problems mentioned in 24 above.

SECTION 6: Suggestions from the faculty and library staff on the most effective

method for teaching information literacy.

22. Based on your experience which method(s) is or are the most effective for teachinginformation literacy to the students.

GBFTCJ © 2007

160

APPENDIX 5

Interview schedule for Library staff.

Section 1: Personal Information

1. What is your institutional affiliation?

University ofZululand [ 1

Durban University of Technology - MS Sultan Campus [ 1

Mzuzu University [ 1

2. What is your rank?University Librarian [ 1Deputy University Librarian [ ]Senior Information Librarian [ 1Reader Services Librarian [ 1Periodicals Librarian [ 1Cataloguing Librarian [ 1Subject Librarian [ 1Other, specify , , , .

SECTION 2: Responsibility for the teaching of library orientationProgramme or Information Literacy.

3. Do you take part or assist in teaching library orientation programme or informationliteracy?

4. If, the answer in 3 is yes, what topics are covered in teaching library orientationprogramme or information literacy?

5. What modes do you use in teaching library orientation programme or informationliteracy?

6. To whom is the library orientation programme or information literacy offered or taught?Give reasons for the answer.

7. In your opinion, do you think the teaching of library orientation programme orinformation literacy adequately equip students with the skills to independently identify,locate, retrieve and information?

161

SECTION 3: Existence of Collaboration between library staff and the departmentresponsible for teaching information literacy.

8. Do you collaborate in the teaching of library orientation programme or informationliteracy with the department teaching information literacy?

9. Are there any problems you face in the collaboration of teaching library orientationprogramme or information literacy with the department's staff members? If yes state theproblems experienced.

10. If yes, indicate the roles and responsibilities played by each in the teaching oflibraryorientation programme or information literacy

Roles and responsibilities of the teaching Department.

Roles and responsibilities of the Library workers.

SECTION 4: Problems faced in the teaching of Library Orientation programme orInformation literacy.

11. Do you face any problems in the teaching oflibrary orientation programme orinformation literacy?

12. If the answer in question 11 is yes, state the problems being faced.

13. Suggest solutions to the problems mentioned in 12 above.

SECTION 5: Suggestions from library staff on the most effective method for teaching

Library Orientation Programme or Information Literacy.

14. Based on your experience which method(s) is or are the most effective for teachinglibrary orientation programme or information literacy to the students?

GBFTCJ © 2007

162